Wall Street Journal (05/04/14) Theo Francis
Despite sluggish growth at the national level, wages are on the rise at more than two dozen large companies. Private-sector nonfarm hourly wages rose 1.9% in April from the same time last year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
A few companies stand to gain from wage increases. Staffing firm Robert Half International Inc. earns more when the temporary employees it places are paid more. “We saw rising pay rates for our temporary staff, which, in turn, meant rising bill rates,” chief financial officer M. Keith Waddell told investors and analysts. “So we’re very encouraged that we’re starting to see some wage inflation, which is usually indicative as you’re beginning to start the growth part of a cycle in earnest.”