🏁 Axios Finish Line: Pandemic silver lining

Plus: Map tales | Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Open in app View in browser     Axios Finish Line By Mike Allen, Erica Pandey and Jim VandeHei ·Jan 25, 2023 Jan 25, 2023 Welcome back. Reach us at finishline@axios.com. Smart Brevity™ count: 364 words ... 1½ mins.     1 big thing: Biggest gains for lowest earners Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics; Chart: Axios Visuals The lowest earners saw the biggest wage gains in 2022, according to Labor Department data. "Gains for low-income and low-skilled workers drove broader wage growth throughout the post-reopening period of the pandemic, as employers who shed workers in 2020 scrambled to hire, and retain, workers," The Wall Street Journal's Gabriel T. Rubin writes. Restaurants and stores desperately needed employees to meet the surge in demand as the world opened back up, and workers had the power. Why it matters: These increases have brought financial relief to millions who've struggled in the labor market for decades, Aaron Sojourner, an economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, told The Journal. Worth noting: Black workers and younger workers, who have historically seen smaller wage gains, saw some of the biggest increases in 2022, with jumps of 11.3% and just over 10%, respectively. What to watch: "It's too soon to tell" whether these gains low-income workers have made will last as the economy normalizes after the turbulence of the pandemic, Nick Bunker, an economist at Indeed, tells Axios.     A message from Axios Start a new morning habit     In just 10 minutes, catch up on the important news and interesting stories you won't hear anywhere else with host Niala Boodhoo. Each weekday morning, get the latest in everything from politics to space to race and justice. Listen now for free.     🗺️ Maps galore! We've been delighted by the hundreds of emails you've sent with pictures of your favorite maps and stories about how you've used them. We'll relay these to you in the coming weeks! Let's start with this tale via reader Juliet L. from Chico, California: "A couple of years ago, I was in a shopping center parking lot and noticed two early-college-age women who appeared to be in some distress. Apparently, they were new in this college town, and they were lost. The phone they had with them had died. So I asked if I could help." "Rather than give the flustered pair verbal directions, I pulled out my paper map of the town and showed them how to reach their destination. They stared at the map as if I had just invented the wheel. ... I gave it to them, and they went back to their car as if they were carrying a remarkable treasure. And I'm inclined to think they were." Keep your pictures and tales coming!   Thanks to Elizabeth Black for the copy edit! Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: