OECD to launch new report on challenges facing the middle class – Wednesday 10 April 2019

Middle-class households feel left behind and are questioning the benefits of globalisation. In many OECD countries, middle incomes have grown less than average incomes and in some countries they have not grown at all. The costs of some goods and services such as housing, which are essential for a middle-class lifestyle, have risen faster than earnings and overall inflation in many countries.

A new OECD report, Under Pressure: The Squeezed Middle Class, to be published on Wednesday 10 April, sheds light on the many pressures on the middle class. It analyses the trends of middle-income households in areas such as employment, consumption, wealth and debt, as well as perceptions and social attitudes. It also includes recommendations for protecting middle-class living standards and financial security in the face of economic challenges.