Sylvia is a senior economist at CEPR. Previously, she was the cochair of the Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics at the University of California, Berkeley. Before that, Sylvia worked for several years at the Economic Policy Institute after receiving her PhD in economics from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has been published in top-tier academic journals and has written extensively on topics that include minimum and subminimum wages, low-wage labor markets, inequality, teacher pay, public sector employment, and unions. Sylvia tracks unemployment, jobs, wages, and other economic trends with an eye toward how typical workers and families are faring. Her recent research concerns the growth in metropolitan statistical area– (MSA)-level hospital consolidation and how it has affected the growth in nursing wages. Preliminary results show that less competition in hospital markets has suppressed the growth of nursing wages.
Sylvia has appeared on national television and radio network news programs and is widely cited and published commentaries in major print publications, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times.
All from Sylvia Allegretto
The Federal Minimum Wage Hits a Seven-Decade Low
The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 for 17 years— which is bad news for workers, especially those in states that do have not set a higher wage floor.
The $2.13 Subminimum Wage: When is Enough Enough?
Scrapping the subminimum wage is long overdue — and wildly popular across the political spectrum.
Mandate Access to Ample Paid Time Off
The United States is the only advanced country in the world that has no federally mandated guarantee of paid time off.
Eliminate the Subminimum Wage
The archaic subminimum wage has been frozen since 1991. The public overwhelmingly supports ending this gift to employers.
Raise the $7.25 Federal Minimum Wage
The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 since 2009. Twenty states still have the federal policy in place, leaving millions of workers behind.
The Subminimum Wage: 35 Years and Still Waiting for Change
Decades of a frozen tipped wage continues to shift labor costs onto customers while policy fixes do little to support the lowest-paid workers.
Teacher ‘Pay Penalty’ Hits Record High
New research shows that in 2024 teachers earned 73.1 cents on the dollar compared with what similar college graduates earned working in other professions.
We Know What Works! Current Policies That Help to Mitigate Poverty
The latest Census data should be a reminder that we know what policies work to reduce poverty.
Social Security: The Gem of American Economic Policy
On its 90th birthday, let’s celebrate Social Security as a remarkable triumph — and work to make it more generous.
The Rich Are Not Rich Enough in America
The Trump administration’s economic policies deliberately shift income and power to the top 1 percent, reversing decades of progress and threatening the future of the American middle class.
