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January 1982, Vol. 105, No. 1

The spendable earnings series:
has it outlived its usefulness?

Paul O. Flaim
Chief, Division of Labor Force Studies, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Enough questions have been raised about accuracy, relevance, and concepts to suggest that this is a series whose time is up; statistical evidence indicates that the measure has been seriously deficient in tracking 'spendable' earnings.

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