The supply of skilled workers has failed to keep pace with demand, so the college wage premium (see chart) has increased.

ECONOMIST: The middle-class task- force

The data clearly shows that there is a Super Bowl wage premium, presuming that you sign a new contract or negotiate an extension shortly thereafter.

FORBES: Will the Eagles' Investment in Michael Vick Lead to Super Bowl Glory or Financial Heartache?

In contrast, younger men without a degree receive a 13% wage premium for being fluent in English, compared to 40% for younger men with a degree.

FORBES: It Pays To Speak English

For example, older men without an undergraduate degree receive a 53% wage premium for being fluent in English, compared to 28% for older men with an undergraduate degree.

FORBES: It Pays To Speak English

Thus, to say that college attendance itself causes a wage premium for graduates, one would have to demonstrate that the skills attained in college make an individual more productive than those who bypass college.

FORBES: So, Exactly Why Are They Going to College?

So then, why does the wage premium exist?

FORBES: So, Exactly Why Are They Going to College?

Evidence from the American Bureau of Labour Statistics support the conservative argument that they have used their power to extract a wage premium: public-sector workers earn, on average, a third more than their private-sector counterparts.

ECONOMIST: Public-sector workers

This means that Ms Merkel will struggle to implement the main planks of her proposed reform programme: a flat-fee health-care premium to lower non-wage labour costs, further labour-market reforms, such as loosening Germany's strict protection against dismissal, and radical tax reform.

ECONOMIST: Merkel clinches it, but the price is high | The