They also increase government revenues from increased earnings and taxes paid by parents, and later by children who go on to become wage earners or entrepreneurs.

“Pay day is coming,” Mr. Sunak posted, referring to the savings that an average wage earner would supposedly reap from a cut in mandatory contributions to Britain’s national insurance system.

In Seattle and King County, the median income spiked during the pandemic due to “very high wage earners skewing the top,” said Nona Raybern, communications manager at Seattle’s Office of Housing.

“Many staff members became donors of services rather than wage earners,” he wrote, “This was the result of under-capitalization.”

"It's tough to lift the heavy materials, especially when there's pollution as I cough a lot when smoke gets in my lungs and my eyes burn," said the sole wage earner in his family.