Investing in "knowledge workers"

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, wages in the service sector have risen in real terms by 1.2% per year on average since 1982; in manufacturing the figure is lower (0.71%) and in education lower still (0.60%). If "knowledge workers" are, as many claim, the key competitiveness in the 21st century, this suggests that we may be under-investing in education.