Raising Minimum Wage Research Paper
Minimum wage is a labor standard that sets the lowest wage rate that an employer can pay its employees. Its main goal is to protect non-unionized workers in unprofessional jobs. The U.S. established the first minimum wage to be $0.25 an hour with the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA). Over the changing time periods, considering inflation and economic growth, the minimum wage now stands at $7.25 an hour. One of the biggest debates in the United States is whether the government should raise the minimum wage. Supporters believe the minimum wage is too low and does not meet the basic conditions for survival, while opponents believe that raising the minimum wage will not be of significant help and will in fact hurt the economy
…show more content…
Although raising the minimum wage may cause inflation, “According to Dr. Pacitti, inflation would likely less than 1 percentage point per year in the wake of a $15 minimum wage. ‘Firms could accept lower profits to offset any inflationary impact.’” (“Real Talk: The Potential Impact of a $15 Minimum Wage") This was also supported by John Wihbey, “Overall, price increases are modest: For example, a 10% increase in the minimum wage would increase food prices by no more than 4% and overall prices by no more than 0.4%, significantly less than the minimum-wage increase.” Many people fear raising the minimum wage would hurt the economy by causing inflation however, statistics show that raising the minimum wage has little effect on inflation rates and that its profits significantly outweigh the costs. Also, even though many businesses would have to reduce the number of workers, the number of people benefited greatly exceeds the number harmed. “Under the $10.10 scenario, there would likely be a reduction of about 500,000 workers across the labor market, as businesses shed jobs, but about 16.5 million low-wage workers would see substantial gains in their earnings in an average week.” (Wihbey "Effects of Raising the Minimum Wage) Overall, as research and calculations have shown, raising the minimum wage benefits the economy and workforce more than it does harm, and immediate actions should be implemented to help the economy grow and ensure equality in the
Although raising the minimum wage may cause inflation, “According to Dr. Pacitti, inflation would likely less than 1 percentage point per year in the wake of a $15 minimum wage. ‘Firms could accept lower profits to offset any inflationary impact.’” (“Real Talk: The Potential Impact of a $15 Minimum Wage") This was also supported by John Wihbey, “Overall, price increases are modest: For example, a 10% increase in the minimum wage would increase food prices by no more than 4% and overall prices by no more than 0.4%, significantly less than the minimum-wage increase.” Many people fear raising the minimum wage would hurt the economy by causing inflation however, statistics show that raising the minimum wage has little effect on inflation rates and that its profits significantly outweigh the costs. Also, even though many businesses would have to reduce the number of workers, the number of people benefited greatly exceeds the number harmed. “Under the $10.10 scenario, there would likely be a reduction of about 500,000 workers across the labor market, as businesses shed jobs, but about 16.5 million low-wage workers would see substantial gains in their earnings in an average week.” (Wihbey "Effects of Raising the Minimum Wage) Overall, as research and calculations have shown, raising the minimum wage benefits the economy and workforce more than it does harm, and immediate actions should be implemented to help the economy grow and ensure equality in the