The Wage Crisis Research Paper

As a high school senior, post high school options are far and few, but the one that shines above the others is the option of attending college. Instead of going straight into the workforce in order to establish some sort of independence, college provides the opportunity to build upon academic skills, gain a step up in terms of work experience, and become more acquainted with the world and adult life without a watchful parent. It is a very impactful experience that can alter the path taken in life but it comes with a very high price, one that many aren’t able to pay and in turn are forced into tens of thousands of dollars in debt. However, the individuals in debt that did graduate have received something that to most of them was all worth it, a degree. With this, they have opened up more paths in life and immediately are more welcomed in the workforce.

Ira Knight, who is an author of article “Let’s Make the Minimum Wage a Living Wage”, expresses an opinion that increasing the minimum wage would help all struggling workers and at the same time improve U.S economy. On the other side, Janice Steele in her article “Keep the Minimum Wage Where It Is” argues that raising the minimum wage would have bad effects on workers, consumers and small businesses. Ira Knight’s article seems to be the stronger of the two positions because her arguments are based on several recent studies, and last but not least, she had a personal experience with the minimum wage job.

Raising the minimum wage sounds like a beneficial idea, but there are also a few surprising reasons why it might not be such a good plan after all. A common assumption among Americans is that raising the minimum wage equals an increased income, but, according to Joseph J. Sabia and Richard V. Burhkauser that may not be the case. They discovered that, “examining only employment effects, however, may mask full labor demand effects. Firms may respond to minimum wage hikes by (i) reducing both employment and average hours worked by employed workers or (ii) increasing hours of retained workers to compensate for reduced employment” (Couch and Wittenburg 2001; Neumark and Wascher 2007) (595). What, exactly, would be the point in

Raising the minimum wage will help keep up with inflation. For example, this piece of evidence supports the fact that poor families are even poorer than what was expected. The article "pros-and-cons-of-raising-the-minimum-wage "stated, "The minimum wage hasn't kept up with inflation. As a result, the pay of man workers, particularly those with families of three or more people, are no well below the poverty level." Minimum wage is already so low to the point that it is considered poverty.

This has been a discussion for the ages. The debate over raising the minimum wage has been a hot topic. Raising minimum wage would reduce poverty, be better for lower paid workers, and to reduce expense for social programs.

When there are millions of Americans living at or below poverty lines, something has to be done. Billion dollar companies and businesses that employ workers, paying them low wages is hurting the economy. The reality is, unless the minimum wage is raised, the cycle will only continue. With higher minimum wages in place, the entire country does better and, therefore, should be raised. There needs to be laws put place to raise the minimum wage. Doing so would boost the economy with all of the money that Americans would put into it. With higher minimum wages, millions of Americans can get out of poverty, not having to rely on the government for assistance such as food stamps, public housing, child care, and health care needs. They can afford better housing options in which they want to live. Communities would see less crimes in neighborhoods creating a safer environment. Aside from that, Americans can afford a good education, health care, as well as healthier eating and exercising habits.

In my report, I will go into detail and show how raising the federal minimum wage would positively effect the economy. In doing so, I will be discussing how an increase in the federal minimum wage would make a vast improvement on the way many low income families live, and also how raising the federal minimum wage would boost the economy as it desperately needs.

Facts on the topic on minimum wage are greatly express in both articles. In Rex Huppke’s article, he provides evidence supporting the idea that raising minimum wage will cause harm to the economy. “A minimum wage of $10.10 per hour might not only attract more qualified workers, blocking out lesser-skilled candidates, but also lure young people out of high school,” stated Allen Sanderson a senior lecturer in economics. Sanderson concludes that only high- skilled workers will benefit from the increase. However, some details in Economists’ article disagree, “Others pointed out that even though there was no offsetting rise in employment in Seattle at wages between $13 and $19; employment wages above the $19 mark has rose sharply.” One city has tested the effects of a higher minimum wage and saw it was a huge success; this could happen to the employment rate across the nation, but the consequences are uncertain.

Although opponents claim higher pay will affect a number of factors, increasing the minimum wage will be ideal to lead economic activity to the right direction. The far most crucial concern for America today is the economy’s downfall and its position at its recession peak. Ralph Nader, a consumer advocate, and the author for “America’s Miserly Minimum Wage Needs an Upgrade” argues how increasing the minimum wage can lead to better off results concerning the market activity. Nader presents two studies to prove how effective the results will be regarding a raise to those paid at the minimum wage rate. The Chicago Federal Reserve study “showed that for every dollar increase in the hourly pay... the result was $2,800 in every consumer spending from that worker’s household” that year in 2011, according to Nader. In other words, a rise in pay will allow an employee to spend a greater amount of money for any needs, which is then put into the economy. The second study by the Economic Policy Institute “indicated that a $10.50 hourly minimum wage . . . increase” would stimulate economic productivity to about $30 billion and put 140,000 jobs over the course of two years (Nader). The numbers prove the effectiveness by showing an increased amount of money put into economic activity and its evidence of no negative outcome. Not only will a rise in pay stimulate the economy, but it will open an incredible amount of

Proponents of raising the minimum wage claim that if the minimum wage was raised, then many economic and social problems would be alleviated. This contention is at odds both with economic principles and years of creditable research. The effect of raising or even having a minimum wage has been studied extensively and the majority of studies have proven that raising a minimum wage does not have the desired effect. Both micro and macroeconomic forces affect the results of raising the minimum wage. The secondary effects of raising the minimum wage are bad both for

The most prevalent and steadfast myth surrounding the raising of the federal minimum wage is that it will doom the economy. This might seem logical at first, but just think about it for a second. Why do minimum wage employees need more cash? The answer is simple: To spend it, to buy the things that they and their families need to survive. “Most minimum wage workers need this income to make ends meet and spend it quickly, boosting the economy. Research indicates that for every $1 added to the minimum wage, low-wage worker households spent an additional $2,800 the following year” (Fair). Furthermore, EPI estimates that if the federal minimum wage were raised to $10.10 an hour, it would result in over

Contrary to these beliefs, I believe that raising the minimum wage will not only benefit the company and employee immensely, but overall increase the productivity of workers. The raising of the minimum wage will help these low income families support their families, which decreases the poverty level too.

Raising minimum wage can solve the cause of inflammation of poverty. Raising minimum wage would lift more than 4 million Americans out of poverty. Number four(4) Says, nearly one in five children would see their parent get a raise. Action by states and cities show that lifting the minimum wage shortens poverty and increases wages. In the 1960s, the minimum wage was suitable to lift a family of three out of poverty. A full-time employee with two children earning the minimum wage will still raise his or her family in poverty. Raising the minimum wages could possibly increase the health and wellbeing of millions globally. Raising the minimum wage will also encourage consumer

Moving along the list of advantages, increasing the minimum wage will also increase the amount of money workers have, which, in turn, will inspire them to increase their consumption and pump their extra money into the economy. If workers have more money going into their pockets from increased wages, the income effect comes into play, and provides an incentive to go out into the market and buy goods and services. In an article printed by The New York Times, it was also pointed out that raising the minimum wage would decrease labor turnover. This is because if workers are paid more, they have less incentive to leave their current job and seek a higher paying job.

Jason Furman and Parrot Sharon explain why raising minimum wage will help families. The wage has to be elevated to just the point where a family can actually afford all the necessities they need in order to survive. The cost of living in houses for poor people makes it difficult for them to afford it and is difficult to stay on task with all the bills. Many minimum wage workers have families to support. The cost of raising children is very expensive. It is an average of $7,100 per year. Minimum wage workers can barely afford to pay child care for one child, let alone two. Increasing minimum wage will also make life easier to those who have food stamps and child care needs. Which can also help them get into college a lot faster so they can go out and pursue a better paying job.