The most important economic chart you've never seen

Sometimes economists (even lefty economists) are very frustrating. They tend to operate in extremely abstract terms, and often miss the fact that the import of their analysis is being missed by the vast majority.

The following chart is probably the most important chart describing the economic fate of labor over the past 40 years, and yet it is never shown in this form. I had to assemble this chart myself - although the data is fairly accessible (at least as far as economic data goes). Click to see full size.

So what is this chart showing?

Upper (red) line = (Net Domestic Product) ÷ (Employment)
Lower (blue) line = (Average Non-Supervisory Compensation per Hour) x (Average # of hours worked)

What does this mean?

The upper line shows the average market value of production in the U.S., ie how much the average worker contributes to the economy.

The lower line shows the average distribution to wage and salary workers not in supervisory positions.

The gap between these two lines shows how much goes to profits, rents, management etc.

In other words, it gives us an approximate sense of the level of exploitation, ie what kind of incomes could the economy support if distribution was equal.

Wonder why economists tend not to show these figures?