The industry's slackened job growth, he suggested, might reflect an inability of employers to find lower-paid workers.

Thus, the officials say, a greater number of lower-paid workers will need to be laid off to achieve mandated savings.

None of this is to dismiss the pain endured by those who lose their jobs to lower-paid workers abroad.

It's right to fight against higher contribution rates for lower-paid workers.

Keeping costs within the reach of lower-paid workers is a concern.

G.M. says that to reduce costs it must turn to lower-paid nonunion workers.

They also noted that all jobs are not equal, with executives providing more tax revenue and other economic benefits to the city than lower-paid workers.

But within days of being told to leave, the Tyco employees say, they were replaced by lower-paid temporary workers hired through an agency.

So the rules tied the amount that owners and managers could set aside to the level of participation by lower-paid workers.

Generally, lower-paid workers must save 3 percent to avoid these restrictions, but most of them set aside less in automatic enrollment plans.