A high school student that has a job or is thinking about getting a job knows what minimum wage is because they know how little it is. Minimum wage is a set p/hr earnings an employer must pay his or her employees. Oregon is one of eighteen states in the U.S. that has set a higher minimum wage then the federal law of only $5.15 per/hr. For many years there has been a debate on weather or not highirng the minimum wage helps or hurts the economy, in most states with a higher minimum wage it has shown an increase in that states economy. When Bill Clinton was in office he gave the states the power to set their own minimum wages above the federal level. One reason why he chose to do this is because it would allow states to change according to what fit their needs the best. A living wage is how well a person can perform a standard of living. That of course depends on where you live and the different types you fall under. You may think how does the minimum wage affect our economy. Dose it help or not. Economists recently signed a statement stating that federal and state minimum wage increases "can significantly improve the lives of low-income workers and their families, without the adverse effects that critics have claimed" (LEG 2005). Even the research that suggests a negative labor market …show more content…
In new research, results show 60% of people who earn a minimum wage are female and 40% male. Also they found 83% are single persons 25 or younger. Over half of minimum wage workers 53% are full or part time students. These statistics show you that it's not only high school students that are making these wages. A little over 20% of American family's the head of the house depends on a minimum wage job for their many source of income. That might seem alarming knowing that many families must live off the same amount I make and our forced to support a