The tendency for the average level of wages actually paid to rise faster than wage rate. This may be due to increases in overtime, increases in special allowances, the operation of age-based salary scales, or up-grading of job descriptions. Wage drift is particularly likely during boom when labour is relatively scarce, and during periods of attempted wage control, which firms try to evade.

• national accounts
• National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System
• National Bureau of Economic Research
• national debt
• National Economic Development Council
• National Health Service
• national income
• national income accounts
• National Institute of Economic and Social Research
• National Insurance contributions
• nationalization
• nationalized industry
• national product
• National Savings
• national treatment
• natural growth rate
• natural logarithm
• natural monopoly
• natural rate of interest
• natural rate of unemployment
• natural resources
• natural wastage
• NBER
• near money
• necessary and sufficient conditions