Wage stagnation is central issue in American election

AMERICA'S economic worries hover like dark clouds over the presidential candidates' campaign trail. Following the latest batch of primaries, notably New York and Pennsylvania, Hillary Clinton is close to edging out Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders to become the Democrat standard-bearer. The Republican contest is closer, but Donald Trump, the real estate mogul, appears to be strengthening his position as frontrunner ahead of Ted Cruz, making a contested selection less likely at the July GOP convention.

In past campaigns, candidates could focus on shiny promises of education, a good wage, home ownership and future prosperity for voters' children. This time, wage stagnation is the central issue - reflecting the electorate's fears of losing both income and hopes for the future.

In 2014, a typical American family earned US$53,657, barely US$200 over their income a year earlier. Adjusted for inflation, the federal minimum wage peaked in 1968 at US$8.54 (in 2014 dollars). Congress last raised the minimum wage in 2009 to the current US$7.25, although several states have raised their statewide minimums.