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Sure, inflation isn't solely driven by wage increases. And wage increases aren't solely driven by minimum wage legislation.

But a bump in minimum wage which results in higher wages for everyone and a devaluation of the currency is inflation. I don't think that's any more simplistic than your premise of all the "tiers" of jobs getting a raise. What you described is inflation.



I'd agree if wages (especially minimum wage) had kept pace with cost of goods and services over the years. It hasn't. There was an 11 year period where it didn't change, for example.


Inflation is never the exact same across industries and across time. Electronics prices have inflated less than the economy average, and even deflated depending on how you measure it. But if changing market conditions meant that electronics prices explode over the next decade, like housing and medical costs have, that would still be inflation.

Stagnating prices in recent history does not make something immune to inflation. Labor is no different.




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