[zzleeper]

If inflation is supply-side (e.g. oil runs out, a ship gets stuck in Suez, etc) then workers lose.

If it's demand-side, then their wages should rise up together with inflation so they don't win or lose (except for whatever savings they have and whatever time it takes for wages to adjust).

[adam_arthur]

Wage numbers come out with the monthly jobs report. Only one month this year did wages rise higher than inflation, IIRC.

So wages are rising, but slower than inflation, e.g. people getting poorer. And of course, many stay in the same job and don't get a raise, or get a paltry raise.

Many seniors living off of fixed income investments which are yielding lower than ever. And so on...

Workers are only better off if wage is strongly above inflation. I do see people cheering on wage gains, even though they've been persistently below inflation, which is a bit of a headscratcher.

It seems the public perception is finally starting to bubble up though, rather than the headline narratives.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/06/upshot/inflation-psycholo...

[rrrrrrrrrrrryan]

Poor people often have a negative net worth. If both inflation and wages are rising, it makes their debts easier to pay off.

I'm not arguing that inflation is good for poor people, just that "Inflation = Bad" is reductionist. There are winners and losers with inflation, and the lives of most individuals are affected in nuanced ways, both positively and negatively.