Category: Economic Problem

Africa is a vast continent in our world, and it is also a continent which our ancestors came from. There is a long history along with Africa, and people here made a lot of miracles like pyramids. Back to today, however, Africa has some complex social issues, and the major one is poverty. I can conclude there are basic three reasons which caused the poverty in Africa.

As we all know, Africa is now the poorest continent in the world. It has 1.1 billion populations, and according to figures released by the World Bank in 2015, 43% of the African population lives below the minimum poverty line of $1.25 a day.

The first reason is a historical reason. The triangular trade, also known as the ‘slave trade’, is a trade form between Africa, Europe and America during 16th century to 19th century. The triangular trade caused profound influences in African, society in many ways, and some of the influences remains today. After European discovered the American continent, they made colonies in the new world to grow crops, tobacco or mine the gold. However, a lot of native Americans were killed directly or indirectly by Europeans, so they had a high demand of labor forces to maintain their plantation estate. The first countries to start the triangular trade were Portugal and Spain, followed by Britain and France. They started from Europe and sailed to the West African coast carrying alcohol, firearms and metal wares. Then, they made trade with the leader of African tribe to get labor force. In America, they sold black people to the owner of planation estate, and carried gold, sugar, and tobacco back to European. The triangular trade is very profitable for the Europeans, it brought enormous wealth to Europe, which was an important step in the primitive accumulation of capital. However, the trade is also bloody, it brings a heavy disaster to the people of Africa. It caused a huge loss of strong labor in Africa as many as 100 million, which is an immeasurable destruction of African society and economy, and this is a big reason why most African countries still stay poor today. Besides the triangular trade, when Europeans first came to this land and tried to colonized it, it caused rebellion. For example, some native people attack a group of Europeans and they almost killed everybody, including the babies. Such a rebellion would cause fight back by Europeans. With powerful guns, Europeans would easily win the war and kill those people who would not agree to accept them. When they take the control of Africa, they blocked the native people from educations, and this influence remains today, nearly 80% people were uneducated.

The second reason is the vast spread of diseases in Africa. Diseases are becoming a serious issue that concerned most people in Africa. Back to the time when Europeans came to Africa, African people suffered great deaths due to smallpox. Smallpox is a representative disease among all of them. Smallpox is a very dangerous disease and it always causes a very high death rate. As for Europeans, they have already contacted with smallpox for centuries, and most of them have some resistance to it. However, for African people, smallpox is a kind of new disease. Most of people have never contacted it, so the majority was less resistant to smallpox, and millions of people died. Due to the big loss of population, Europeans was easy to conquer African land and reign African people. Today although medical developed a lot, Africa still faces the problem of disease. According to a report from WHO, communicable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS and other conditions still predominate in sub-Saharan Africa (Musau, 2016). The natural geographical environment in which Africa is located determines the prevalence of infectious diseases in the region. Africa’s climate is particularly suitable for the reproduction of micro-organisms, parasites and harmful vector insects. It is also the living place for non-human primates and other mammals which is the host of many viruses. Zambia suffers from malaria in a serious condition. Malaria is trophic disease passed by parasites because parasites like mosquito are fond of hot, moisture weather, which the weather of Zambia is very similar. A statistic shows that nearly 45% children of Zambia is affected by malaria, and malaria effected one percent net growth over the last 50 years, lots of children died because of malaria. Compared to other tropical area, the poor medical condition is also an important reason. Because medical equipment and sanitary conditions are bad, clean drinking water recourse are insufficient, and the average level of education is low which leads to poor basic medical and self-prevention awareness, once the outbreak occurs, it is difficult to get timely and effective control.

The third reason caused poverty mainly lies in humans, including disputes among parties, tribes and religions, regional and border issues, as well as the competition for natural resources and wars. According to statistics, over the past 10 years, three quarters of African countries have been involved in wars, which more than 8 million people’s lives were taken, and over 16 million people became refugees, lots of children became orphans. The wars that have lasted for many tears have made it difficult for many African countries to maintain the stability needed for normal economic construction. The infrastructure has also been hit hard, price of normal goods has fluctuated drastically, and investors have been discouraged, which further exacerbated poverty in Africa. Besides, the process of industrial construction in Africa goes very slowly, most African people are still working on farming. This kind of economic developing form can only attribute a very low production to national economy.

In short, wars, unreasonable economic structure, low level of education, technology, and wild spread of diseases, as well as many other factors, all leads to poverty in Africa. And long-term poverty also increase terrorism, which in turn worsen the economic situation. Therefore, when we concern about world peace and development, we need to pay more attention to the development of Africa.

Work Cited

1. Musau, Zipporah. “Lifestyle Diseases Pose New Burden for Africa | Africa Renewal”. United Nations, United Nations, 2016, https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/december-2016-march-2017/lifestyle-diseases-pose-new-burden-africa

Ever wonder why jeans have that little 5th pocket? Well, originally it was for a pocket watch. But it became known as a coin pocket for many decades. This will be hard to believe but there was a time, before cell phones, when these physical phones were placed in public places like street corners, schools, and restaurants and that’s how people keep in touch when they were away from home. Anyway, these phones took coins to make phone calls. It was a dime for a long while then a quarter. Kids would put a coin in that 5th pocket in case of an emergency. Now, money isn’t what it used to be. Just last week, in the lunchroom, I witnessed a classmate drop a quarter on accident, glance at it then decide it wasn’t worth the effort to pick up. The girls at her table saw it and also decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Who knows, maybe it’s still there.

Some of us have after-school or weekend jobs. Imagine getting paid a measly quarter for an hour of work. That was the case in 1938. The minimum hourly wage was only $.25 per hour. Of course, times were different. A quarter in 1938 is about $4.30 today. I would suspect that if offered a $5 bill for an hour of labor, most of us would politely decline. It’s just not worthwhile.

Over time, the minimum wage has grown faster than inflation, but it is enough? We can compare it to a few other measurements to get an idea of its value. We can look at the purchasing power of money in comparison to the minimum wage to get an idea of its value. As an example, the peak purchasing power versus minimum wage was in 1968 when the minimum wage was $1.60. As you probably heard, we recently raised our minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, is a measurement we use to express the value of our economy. So, it would follow that if our country is doing better, our laborers should benefit from that as well, right? Wouldn’t that be just? “You will break to pieces many nations; you will devote their spoils to the Lord, their riches to the Lord of the whole earth.” (Micah 4:13). Micah is talking to Israel and pleading for them to share their wealth fairly. So, the country is doing better, money isn’t worth as much as it used to be, wages aren’t high enough. Where’s all the money going? Well, it’s going to a smaller percentage of our workforce. Capitalism and democracy and the opportunity for one person to climb from nothing to everything are what make this country great. I’m not arguing to lessen that, but we should have a safety net. A working-class American deserves to benefit from our country’s prosperity with a wage that earns him or her a comfortable lifestyle. Increasing the minimum wage and investment is also increasing demand and creating more jobs. Workers, therefore, stay longer with employers, reducing the turnover, hiring, and training costs for businesses. Lower unemployment and higher wages just increase money received from taxes.

What can you do? “[For what [else] does the Lord require of you but to do justice.” (Micah 6:8). You’re just a high school kid, right? You’re a voice in the community. Call your congressperson, email them if you don’t have a quarter to make a phone call. You can find email addresses for the CEOs of companies that fight against higher wages or treat workers unfairly and voice your concern because it’s their responsibility as well. As President Franklin once said… “It seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country.” (President Franklin D. Roosevelt). 

General Purpose: 

To persuade

Specific Purpose: 

To convince my audience that raising the minimum wage is not a good idea.

Central Idea: 

Increasing the minimum wage is not beneficial to the economy.

Introduction

I. Lately a popular source of debate has been the topic of minimum wage. Although there are many who will argue raising the minimum wage will be beneficial to those who are suffering from poverty, there are many statistics and facts that prove otherwise.

II. Raising the minimum wage could actually be more detrimental to the job market than it could be helpful to the poor.

III. An increase in minimum wage will ultimately have a drastic effect on the nation’s economy as a whole, affecting more people than it would help.

Transition-

Body

I. The idea of increasing the minimum wage has been proposed as a way to decrease the number of people suffering from poverty, however, there are many numbers that prove otherwise.

• A. Only 11% of people that would be affected by an increase in the minimum wage are below the poverty line.
• B. Most workers who earn minimum wage are actually from families earning above the median income of $50,000.
• C. 85% of all minimum wage workers are either teens that live with their parents, adults living alone, or adults who have spouses that also work.
• D. 80% do not have kids.
• E. The majority of these workers will receive a raise between a month and a year after being hired.
• F. Roughly 60% of those in poverty don’t even work.

Transition- According to Forbes, the only thing raising the minimum wage will do is make it harder for that 60% to get a job if they ever decide to get one.

II. It all comes down to the simple Law of Demand: the higher the price of anything, the less the demand with be for that particular thing. In this case, the ‘thing’ we are talking about is jobs.

• A. In July 2009, Congress raised the minimum wage by 10.6%. In the 6 months following, 600,000 teens’ jobs were lost.
• B. The higher wages employers are required to pay their workers, the fewer workers they are going to be able to have.
• C. “Firms cannot pay a worker more than the value the worker brings to the firm.” (Forbes)

Transition- In addition to completely destroying the job market, raising the minimum raise could be detrimental to our nation’s economy.

III. An increase in minimum wage could cause inflation and have other negative effects on the economy.

• A. The state of Michigan raise the minimum wage from $7.40 to $8.15, just 75 cents, and we immediately saw the effects in pricing at some of our everyday business locations.
• B. McDonald’s alone made many major price changes due to the increase in the minimum wage. Pops are no longer just a dollar, and many of the items on the dollar menu, such as the McDouble, are now roughly a dollar more.
• C. Increasing the minimum wage for entry-level jobs will eliminate many of those jobs as well as eliminate the incentive to advance beyond those jobs.

Transition- Overall, an increase in the minimum wage is more likely to cause more bad than good.

Conclusion

I. Many argue that raising the minimum wage will help those in poverty, however in all reality it is actually a terrible idea.

• A. Studies and statistics prove that an increase in minimum wage will not benefit those in poverty.
• B. Raising the minimum wage would cause a loss of many of those jobs, so an increase will likely hurt more people than help them.
• C. An increase in minimum wage will also cause inflation, making the standard of living in the country to increase substantially, hurting the lower and middle classes drastically.

II. When it comes down to the cold, hard facts, an increase in the minimum wage is not the way to go in trying to better our economy, as it will cause more problems than it is intended to fix.

Works Cited

1. Dunkelberg, William. ‘Why Raising The Minimum Wage Kills Jobs.’ Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 31 Dec. 2012. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.
2. O’Leary, Lizzie. ‘Raising the Minimum Wage: Good Idea or Bad Idea?’ Marketplace.org. N.p., 04 Apr. 2014. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.
3. Ponnuru, Ramesh. ‘Raising the Minimum Wage Is Still a Bad Idea.’ BloombergView.com. BloombergView, 18 Feb. 2014. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.
4. Stoll, Ira. ‘9 Reasons Why Raising the Minimum Wage Is a Terrible Idea.’ Reason.com. N.p., 03 Mar. 2014. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.
5. ’15 Reasons Raising Minimum Wage Is Bad.’ Republican Reader. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.

Black and White Flashbacks: Looking Our Racist in the Eye

In the film, American History X, he portrays the profound message of how prejudice and hatred can change people and bring them closer together. Shows how “hate is baggage and life’s too short to be pissed off all the time.” Although hard to watch the film American History X, the realism of the movie sends a powerful message of hatred and violence.

Derek who had joined the neo-Nazi movement soon after the death of his father became imprisoned for killing two black men trying to steal his truck. Derek felt betrayed by his fellow white inmates while in prison and reluctantly befriends an African-American named Lamont. During his time in prison, Derek realizes that all the anger and hatred has gotten him, nowhere in life. Not all, white people have the same beliefs of hatred towards the black, brown, or yellow race.

Although Derek’s beliefs by his father and the neo-Nazi make him think it’s ok to murder the two black men he soon discovers in prison that it wasn’t. Derek tries to fit in with the white gang and sees that their beliefs are not quite what he believes and ventures out on his own. His fellow white inmates soon turn on him, and he realizes then that it’s not just black, brown, or yellow-skinned people that are bad, and that’s when it hits him, and his eyes open to a whole new world. He receives a visit from his high school teacher who makes him question his beliefs and shows him the teacher wasn’t the person his dad made him out to be. While working in the laundry room during his prison sentence, he becomes friends with a black male named Lamont who he soon discovers is the one person who turned out to be his friend and had been the one who protected him until his release.

His attempts to honor his father and the neo-Nazi with their beliefs ultimately lead to his brother’s death, which reveals that hatred, prejudice, and violence are a waste of time and get you nowhere.

The realism of, American History X touches on real-life events and issues that we, as a society address constantly. It demonstrates how hatred and prejudice affect so many lives, not only the people it’s geared toward but their own lives as well. The writer of American History X uses black-and-white flashbacks to tell the story through Danny’s eyes.

The startling black-and-white kickoff scene shows Derek without hesitation brutally murdering two black men with such hatred, one of them by curb-stomping his head, briefly showing it but letting us hear the act. American History X probes into the sensitive side of racism, sexism, and violence but its messages are those of change and the redemptive power of personal integrity. An intense prison scene shows a graphic rap scene complete with blood and full-frontal male nudity and violence.

Though most films steer clear of difficult subjects and unhappy endings, American History X jumps right into the deep end. Shows Derek curb-stomp a black male at the beginning of the film to set the stage for the reality of hatred and prejudice. The violent scenes that bring you to the edge of your seat make you feel anger, and sadness, and ask yourself why? Showing us that hatred and prejudice ultimately will have a price to pay in the end. Touches on the prison scene to show the reality of prison life, and that even the same race doesn’t always think alike. Shows that people do what they need to do to survive and when you don’t agree with their ways that sometimes comes with consequences, which leads to the scene where Derek suffers a brutal rape at the hands of his former neo-Nazi.

Today the realism of gang violence and hate crimes still exist, sadly American History X shows what life was like back then and what it still is somewhat like today. Although the neo-Nazi and white supremacist gangs don’t exist anymore the hatred, prejudice, and gang crimes still do. The reality is, prejudice and violence touch us all in many ways, and the film American History X shows that racism leads to nothing but hatred and violence.

The storytelling is violent and quite disturbing at times, but it is also powerful and moving, an important part of the film because it shows how racism can be overcome through education and sometimes severe consequences.

The story makes you feel so many different emotions, it’s a story that has a good ending, not making you feel like something was left unsaid. It tells the story of how different races are and shows their true colors without attacking or bashing the races. The writer of American history x set out to show the audience that hatred and prejudice itself is wrong and how it caused Derek to become not only distant with his family but from himself as well

The film does not offer much in terms of developed black characters and, as such, has received tons of criticism, most of the black characters, except for a couple, are represented as mindless thugs who antagonize Derek and his family. However, the film does not set out to present white people as being just as victimized as black people but instead presents how racism and hatred in all its forms are destructive and lead to no resolution. Derek’s mother Doris invites Murray, whom she is dating, home for dinner, which turns into a full-blown argument between Derek and Murray, with Derek assaulting their sister Davina, Murray leaving, and Doris kicking Derek out. Derek knows the breakdown of his family is his fault and the only way to fix it is to become a better person.

With the fight for equal civil rights still an ongoing struggle in modern society, American History X still serves as an important film. American History X shows that the transition from bad to good is a lengthy process and that it isn’t always pretty and sometimes sacrifices must be made, but ultimately hate does not solve problems and it does not fix anything. Instead, it only adds further pain and suffering.

The two characters that stand out the most are Derek and Danny. The characters tell the story of not only the consequences of racism but also its beginnings.

Derek was good at basketball and school. He starts out as a normal teenager with a loving family. He is a violent racist but an intelligent one. Justifies murdering two men as revenge for the murder of his father. In the end, Derek realizes the error of his ways and is reformed. Danny is represented as an innocent, frustrated, and confused kid. Danny has a great love for his family, especially his younger sister. Looks up to his brother Derek as his role model. Danny was shot and killed by a black student in the end.

The two brothers were orphaned when their father was murdered while fighting a fire at a drug den, and Danny grew up with a racist brother, whose neo-Nazi views influenced him. Derek starts out acting like your normal teenager coming from a good home. Danny starts out your normal teenager but with a smug side to him who blows smoke in someone’s face. Being raised in a prejudiced home eventually causes Derek to take his anger out on black people after the murder of his father. When Derek was sent to prison Danny, despite his strong love for his family and the fact that he’s not really prejudiced follows in his brother’s footsteps and joins the Disciples of Christ gang while his brother was in prison. Derek even though very intelligent shows no remorse for and justifies murdering two men as the revenge of his father’s death. While serving his prison sentence Derek realizes the wrong he was doing and, in the end, is reformed. Towards the end, Derek realizes the effects he had on his younger brother and sets out to save him from the path he went down. Danny was convinced by his brother to leave the gang after hearing the tragic story about his prison time. Danny would later write a paper about his brother as a special assignment for principal Bob Sweeney, who had received a complaint from the history teacher. Tragically despite Derek’s current efforts, sometimes what people set in motion cannot be stopped, and Danny was shot by a black student and died in the end.

Setting out to send a powerful message of the consequence of hatred and prejudice, Derek and Danny delivered what the audience would expect.

Democrats introduced a bill last month to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2024. The new House Democratic majority sees this as an attempt to live low-wage workers and boost the economy. and focus on policy priorities.

If implemented, this bill will significantly affect the lives of many college-aged students in the workforce, as workers under age 25 represent almost 50% of all minimum wage earners, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With the challenge of covering tuition bills and many other new expenses that come with living independently, many college students struggle to keep up with a minimum wage salary. The wage increase would ease the pressure and lessen this burden placed on working students, some say.

Stacy Hickox, assistant professor at Michigan State University’s School of Labor Relations, is one of the many in favor of the raise. With minimum wage frozen at $7.25 per hour since 2009, Hickox says that minimum wage is no longer enough for students to live off of, as inflation continues to rise.

“Minimum wage just doesn’t meet the criteria for a living wage anymore,” Hickox says.

To compensate for low wages, many students are forced to cram many hours of work into their busy class schedules. Hickox supports the raise because the higher paychecks will serve as beneficial to students balancing work and school.

“I hate to hear that students are working 30 hours per week and don’t have time for class work and homework, yet they still aren’t making that much,” Hickox says. “So, yes, I think (the raise) is very important for students.”

While raising the minimum wage would help the economy as consumers are able to spend more with their increased paychecks, many are concerned with the possible effects it will have on inflation and employment.

MSU sophomore Nick Moscone is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering and is currently working a minimum-wage job. Despite the immediate benefits of extra income due to the raise, Moscone said that the bad outweighs the good due to increased inflation.

“I know most students are broke, and yes, they will make more money,” Moscone said. “But, over time, I think this will cancel out as prices go up and inflation increases due to the raise.”

The increase in federal minimum wage will force many local businesses to compensate for higher wage bills by raising prices and cutting expenses in other areas in order to maintain a corporate profit. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, raising the minimum wage to $15 would cause prices to rise an estimated 4.3 percent.

Because the goods and services offered by most companies will become more expensive, the raise may not be enough to propel a consumer’s purchasing power.

Raising the federal minimum wage may also pose a threat to the budgets of many businesses in rural areas in which their local economy may be unable to support it.

President and Chairman of the MSU College Republicans, Aleks Oslapas, says that raising the minimum wage is not an issue the federal government should be looking at due to the inability to take local conditions into account.

“If you look at places a half mile outside of Lansing, or other rural areas, there are businesses that can’t afford to pay people more than minimum wage, which is already probably pushing their budgets pretty high,” Oslapas said. “What works in New York City definitely won’t work in Wyoming.”

Whether the effects of the raise will be beneficial or detrimental is still up for debate due to the fact that our country has never seen an increase of this magnitude. The significance of the proposed increase means that past minimum wage research, though not lacking in quality, may not necessarily be a reliable tool for discovering the most accurate outcome.

Dale Belman is an author and professor in MSU’s School of Human Resources and Labor Relations. In one of his published books, What Does the Minimum Wage Do? He reviews the empirical research on the effects of minimum wage and says it is a very successful aspect of public policy. However, Belman does not think the government should raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.

“Even raising the minimum wage to $15, it would barely make it over a living wage for most single adults,” Belman said.

Many economists have a widespread agreement that the raise will have generally small effects on employment and a small effect on poverty levels. Most who support the proposal argue that it will still serve as beneficial for college-aged workers.

“Money is a clear and guaranteed return to going to work and raising the minimum wage will further establish work as a good thing,” said Steven Haider, a professor at Michigan State University Department of Economics. “I think it would help students because the mindset behind the connection it establishes between work and pay is good.”

The exact effects the raise will have on our local economy are subject to debate, however, insight from people like Haider and many other economists reminds us of the indisputable ways the raise will serve as beneficial to college students.   

Issues

Employees

Employees are vastly affected by the changes in the minimum wage. This is because what they earn has a drastic effect on their living such as choices in financial expenses. Through the perspective of the employees, the standard economic model of supply and demand suggests that the higher the wages for a job are, the more of the workforce is willing to work the job thus increasing supply (McGuinness, Freebairn and Mavromaras 2008). Therefore, the conclusion can be made that employees would rather have higher wages.

Government

The Government is a key stakeholder when it comes to the minimum wage debate. It is the government’s job to ensure that both employers and employees are treated fairly. In their perspective they must operate as such in regard to employees so that the workforce is at a healthy level and that there is a low amount of unemployment (Card and Krueger 2015) – which will help the socioeconomic landscape as more individuals have access to a job which will provide them income in turn decreasing the poverty scale and also the economic landscape as there will:

1. Be more spending as individuals have access to more funds
2. More production in the economy due to increased employment.

 

Both of the above reasons will lead to higher economic growth.

Industrial Tribunals

The role of industrial tribunals as industrial relations stakeholders is to provide a platform to resolve disputes between employees and their employers in the workplace. The perspective of the industrial tribunals such as the Fair Work Commission when it comes to minimum wage is it enforces the minimum wage laws, introduced by the government. This ensures that both employees and employers are on the same path and one is not being treated unfairly than the other (Dickens 2008). This allows for less illegal activity to occur such as an employee getting paid below the minimum wage.

Employer Associations

The role of employer associations as non-profit organization industrial relations stakeholders is to support its member employers. These associations’ perspective on the minimum wage is to ensure that its members are up to date with the laws and make sure that they are being treated fairly in their industry (Barry and Wilkinson 2011).

Trade Unions

The role of trade unions is the perspective minimum wages to ensure the welfare of its employee members, trying their best to achieve the interests of its members in achieving higher wages by safeguarding economic benefits (Gumbrell-McCormick and Hyman 2013). Unlike Employer associations, trade unions provide support for employees.

Employers

Employers are affected majorly by the minimum wage debate. One of the key perspectives of an employer is to ensure that production and growth are in a positive state. This is done by ensuring all their resources which including labor are being utilized effectively. A set minimum wage can help keep the employer’s costs of production lower (Meer and West 2016). An increase in this causes a higher cost of production which could cause the employer to have to reduce their labor costs.

Analysis of Employers through the lens of sustainability

Economic

The economic lens of sustainability refers to the perspective of employers on minimum wage and how it affects their ability to keep sustainable growth in profit. As shown by the increases in the minimum wage in Australia recently, there have been increases in the youth unemployment rate. This means that more employers have had to let go of their lower-skilled employees to lower production costs. This links back to economic sustainability – employers have to look at how they can sustain profit and be building their business; and by saying that, paying more to their employees will do nothing but hurt that growth economically speaking.

However – through the perspective of an employer an increase in minimum wages increases the supply of workers willing to take the job for a more attractive wage. This means that for an employer actually looking for more labor, they will have it easier to come by and achieve this as more workers in the workforce are willing to take the cake. But on the other hand, employers may offset this increase in job competition between unskilled employees by reducing employee benefits or hours worked, whilst requiring employees to maintain high rates of production (Willard 2012). This reduced time of increased production puts strain on production; which can result in the production of inferior products or services therefore affecting the demand and decreasing sustainable profit.

Social

Employers must look through the lens of social sustainability in their workplace. This means that employers must act with wage changes in such a way that their employees have a healthy relationship with everyone in the workforce, show good morale, and actually want to be at work (Slaper and Hall 2011).

An increase in the minimum wage also increases employee ‘loyalty’. Workers will tend to remain with employers longer rather than seeking out jobs with better pay from other companies, which thus reduces businesses’ turnover, and costs of training, and also hiring, whilst increasing morale and healthy relationships between employers and their employees.

Increased wages also can tie along with more production and efficiency. Even if this makes no sense economically speaking, looking at this through a lens of social sustainability, if an employee is satisfied with their job which includes their wage; job performance is positively increased (Wright, Cropanzano, and Bonett 2007), which leads to more production and efficiency hence affecting the economic sustainability of the firm.

Position and Critique

Youth employees are one of the main groups of employees that are able to reap the benefits of a minimum wage. This is due to their inexperience in the workforce and therefore employers will be more inclined to pay them a lower wage as they have lesser experience than a more seasoned employee meaning the youth would be of less value to the firm.

There have been increases in the minimum wage as of recently in Australia; the current minimum wage is $19.49 per hour or $740.80 per 38-hour week (before tax) (Fairwork 2019).

However, the main issue is that with this increase in minimum wage every year, there have been continuous decreases in youth employment. There is consistently more youth employment with the following evidence being taken into account:

• One-third of young people are either underemployed or unemployed. Having this much of Australian Youth unemployed costs the economy just over three-quarters of a million hours of loss of work every year which in turn causes 16 billion dollars AUD worth of lost GDP annually in the Australian economy [1]
• In the past year, out of all the jobs advertised online only 0.5% were available as entry-level. [2]

The bottom line is that although the idea of raising the minimum wage to reduce unemployment makes theoretical sense, evidence shows that this has the opposite effect; unemployment is actually increased among the unskilled workforce. There are always exceptions however as some youths will benefit from the wage increase but as evidence suggests most will struggle and this will only increase their delay into the entrance of the workforce and in turn reduced income over the rest of their lives.

The Australian minimum wage has been increasing – this means employers will incur higher labor costs. The above evidence claims that there are been increases in employers under-employing the workforce (reducing the hours worked by individual employees) and also reducing their labor. Policies that raise costs of labor for employers can either increase the workforce employment in total or they can increase the total hours worked per worker, but they cannot, however, do both. The minimum wage as evidence shows, has caused employers to reduce employment within their business to sustain their profit margins thus increasing the unemployment rate amongst unskilled workers in the workforce.

Government should look to create policies that improve and increase opportunities for youth/low-income families while still not increasing the cost of employment for employers as this is one of the main reasons why increases in minimum wage cause unemployment amongst the unskilled and low-income workforce. Both objectives can be achieved through:

• Policies that provide welfare payments to low-income/youth workers if their income falls below the rate of what it should be to prevent poverty (due to economic forces such as inflation). So instead of making the employer pay more to the employee, the government bridges that gap by providing welfare payments. This ensures that poverty is prevented while not having an adverse effect on employers.
• Provide more support such as housing and food assistance.
• Improved monitoring of minimum wage laws compliance
• Providing better social safety nets for employees affected by an increase in the minimum wage.

It can be argued that some of these policies will cause their own issues such as people not choosing to work and just living off welfare payments however this will not cause a decrease in jobs and job opportunities.

In conclusion, the recommendation that this report gives is

• not to change the minimum wage for 5 years. Instead as inflation increases and the cost of living increases – calculate how much exactly the minimum wage was to increase.

Instead of increasing the minimum wage:

• bridge the gap between the current minimum wage and the prospected minimum wage using payments.

This will create more jobs for the future generation as well as low-income earners.

References

1. Wright, T.A., Cropanzano, R. and Bonett, D.G., 2007. The moderating role of employee positive well-being on the relation between job satisfaction and job performance. Journal of occupational health psychology, 12(2), p.93.
2. McGuinness, S., Freebairn, J.W. and Mavromaras, K.G., 2008. Characteristics of minimum wage employees. Australian Fair Pay Commission.
3. Card, D. and Krueger, A.B., 2015. Myth and Measurement: The New Economics of the Minimum Wage-Twentieth-Anniversary Edition. Princeton University Press.
4. Dickens, L., 2008. Legal regulation, institutions and industrial relations (No. 89). Warwick Papers in Industrial Relations.
5. Barry, M. and Wilkinson, A., 2011. Reconceptualizing employer associations under evolving employment relations: countervailing power revisited. Work, employment and Society, 25(1), pp.149-162.
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Indices

1. Davidson H, 2017, ‘Third of Australian youth have no job or are underemployed, report finds, The Guardian, 27 March 2017, accessed via: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/mar/27/third-of-australian-youth-have-no-job-or-are-underemployed-report-finds
2. Foundation for Young Australians (FYA), 2018, Report reveals full-time work by 25 no longer a reality for 50% of young Australians, media release, FYA, Melbourne, 14 June 2018, accessed via: https://www.fya.org.au/2018/06/14/media-release-report-reveals-full-time-work-by-25-no-longer-a-reality-for-50-of-young-australians/    

The minimum wage is the least amount of payment an employer is required to pay his or her employee. It is paid after completing a number of tasks the employer gives his or her employee. It can be hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly as per the contract agreement between the two parties. Minimum wage refers to the binding nature of minimum wages, despite the strategy of fixing them. Minimum wages may be set by statute, call of a competent authority, a wage board, a wage council, or by industrial or labor courts or tribunals. Minimum wages also can be set by giving the force of law to provisions of collective agreements.

The purpose of minimum wages is to safeguard employees against unduly low pay. They assist in guaranteeing a simple and evenhanded share of the fruits to all. Minimum wages also can be one part of a policy to beat financial conditions and scale back differences, as well as those between men and girls, by promoting the proper equal remuneration for work of equal price.

Minimum wage systems must not be seen or employed in isolation. They, however, ought to be designed thanks to supplementing and reinforcing alternative social and employment policies. Many forms of measures are meant to tackle financial gain and labor market differences, as well as pre-employment policies and social transfers. Supporting low-paid staff could be a key objective for governments around the world, notably, once the money crisis exacerbated differences in several countries. Whereas minimum wages supply one route out of impoverishment, they aren’t usually sparking politically charged debates and generating headlines.

Recently, Spain’s government aforementioned its remuneration can jump by 22% in 2019, the most important annual increase in more than forty years. French President Emmanuel mentioned his nation’s threshold can increase additionally. Even in Australia, which has one of the very best levels, there’s tension between the Truthful Work Commission that sets the speed. Those in favor say businesses have a responsibility to pay their employees enough to measure on, whereas those against argue that high earnings destroy jobs and hampers entrepreneurship. A report earlier this year by the Institute for Financial Studies warned that an increase in earnings might expose additional jobs to automation.

Academic studies are mixed, line of work into question long-held concepts that minimum pay thresholds result in job cuts and fewer hours offered to staff, whereas conjointly harming little businesses and pushing up costs.

“Thirty years past, most economists expressed confidence in surveys that minimum wages had a transparent negative impact on jobs. that’s not true nowadays,” Arindrajit Dube, a professor of social science at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst aforementioned in an NPR podcast. “The weight of the proof thus far suggests the utilization effects from earnings will increase within the US is pretty small; abundant smaller than the wage increases.”

In reality, several minimum-wage earners in developed nations add the service sector, wherever it is often easier to pass pay will increase on to customers via higher costs. And a few firms don’t mind paying additional as a result of it lowers employee turnover, and alteration outlay on enlisting and coaching.

The hourly wage in Australia is US$14.14, Luxembourg at US$13.14 per hour, New Zealand at US$11.28 per hour, France at US$11.24 per hour, whereas the Netherlands offers US$11.01.The hourly rate within the USA yields the equivalent of US$6.63 of buying power, in step with the report, virtually fourfold that of Russia’s, that is value solely $1.87 in buying power terms.

Purchasing Power Standard (PPS) is a synthetic common reference currency unit utilized in the European Union that eliminates the variations of value levels between countries.

Theoretically, one PPS should buy a constant quantity of products and services in every country. The aggregates expressed in PPS are calculated by dividing the aggregates expressed in current costs and in national currency by the Purchasing Power Parities (PPP).

The top eleven countries with the highest minimum wage are:

• Australia – $14.14
• Luxembourg – $13.14
• New Zealand – $11.28
• France – $11.24
• Netherlands – $11.01
• Ireland – $10.87
• Belgium – $10.78
• Germany – $10.06
• United Kingdom – $9.74
• Canada – $9.06
• Japan – $7.61

Abstract

Using our knowledge and research of wage and hour laws to study minimum wage, law monitoring, statistics on entry leveled citizens and the labor economy: Locating the opportunities and obstacles between minimum wage laws, it will be determined on the occasion that minimum wage laws should or should not be abolished. The unique ways that companies and states have determined their wage with “living wage” has been adopted and financial, economic, and social consequences have been present. Statistics have shown that “The relatively large increase in the wage floor with the introduction of the NLW and plans to raise the NLW to 60% of median earnings by 2020, raises the possibility of detrimental effects on employee retention and hours worked.” (Aitken, Dolton, Riley, 2019). Using research on pay equity and equal pay, I will discuss the difference between pay equity and equal pay, equal pay for equal work policies, reasons why pay equity is more complicated than it seems, and many aspects that are included in pay equity. The goal of this study is to develop a model that defines wage and hour laws, and how prevalent these laws control the labor economy.

Minimum Wage Laws: Abolishment

Many employees start their first jobs at minimum wage. To some extent, people tend to start realizing as they grow older, that minimum wage is not enough for them, or they work more hours to make minimum wages work for them. According to an article written by Gindling, depending on the characteristics of the labor market, raising the minimum wage in developing countries can increase or decrease poverty. Minimum wages are aimed at public sector workers— a minority in most developing countries— many of whom are not living in poor households. How raising minimum wages decreases inequality depends not only on how formal sector workers lose employment but also on whether low-wage workers lose jobs. If the world looked toward abolishing minimum wage laws, then the world must look at the pros and cons of minimum wage laws in general, this means, not only the minimum wage laws in the U.S. but around the world. Looking at the pros of minimum wage laws, there are, when job losses in the private sector are low, unemployment would likely be reduced by raising the minimum wage. When the minimum wage rises, higher minimum wages are likely to reduce unemployment if the informal sector wages rise, higher minimum wages are likely to reduce inequality because people earning the minimum wage are members of low-income households, and when low-income employees lose jobs and are unable to find jobs because of higher minimum wages, social security networks may shield low-income households from increased poverty. Some cons of minimum wages are, when higher minimum wages lead to employees losing traditional jobs in the industry, unemployment will not be minimized, and if a large pool of informal workers is not covered by minimum wage legislation, higher minimum wages are unlikely to reduce poverty, when secondary family members are the jobs impacted by the minimum wage, higher minimum wages will not reduce poverty, higher minimum wages would exacerbate unemployment because low-income employees lose jobs and cannot find new ones due to higher minimum wages and there are no social security networks. In most developing countries, raising the minimum wage decreases poverty. The effect is small, however, because only a minority of the working poor are covered by the minimum wage; in general, it does not include jobs in broad informal sectors. And higher minimum wages generate losers as well as winners from poor households, which drives some out of poverty while others into it are dependent on the effects of work, salary distribution, and effects on the household. The increase in the minimum wage may be part of an overall poverty alleviation program but not the only or the only means of reducing poverty. While many business owners would give their employees a lower wage as compared to the minimum wage laws were at, if minimum wage laws have been abolished, business owners want to make a profit so the lower the employees’ wages, the more profit the business can gain, therefore, in my opinion, it is not appropriate to eliminate minimum wage regulations, a minimum wage has to be set in place.

Living Wage

A ‘ living wage ‘ means a basic income that offers more than mere subsistence, allowing workers and their families to be protected against unexpected disruptions in society and some range. According to a Journal of Sustainability Research, real households are diverse in terms of the number of households and employment, making living wages conceptually more of a continuous factor than a single constant across a continuum of wages. Creating a living wage is important to establish the possibility of emerging from working poverty traps and to foster an environment of work equity and work-life balance. Setting the ‘right’ living wage in terms of money is also important, as it is not possible for poverty to escape while setting an unforeseen high level of cost of living. The dynamics of the structure of the household and economic capital should also be taken into account when considering the effects of living wages on poverty. With regard to other earnings of individual earnings, people who are living in single-income households, especially if they had been at or close to the legal minimum wage, encountered a deeper poverty trap, and a far more drastic change in the quality of life and working life, from hitting the living wage barrier. Personally, I believe that the living wage needs to be further researched, as many are still in poverty. Providing decent wages for workers in global value chains would help support whole families and communities to emerge from poverty, accelerating the economic and social development needed by both public and private actors in their adoption of the SDGs. Human rights freedom, collective bargaining, and non-discrimination, among others, are key drivers for supporting the provision of a livelihood, that in turn can help to achieve human rights to food, water, health, housing adequacy, education, family life, fair working time, and so on. Under U.S. law, a state actor is an individual acting on behalf of a governmental body and is therefore subject to laws under the U.S. Bill of Rights, including the First, Second, and Fourteenth Amendments, which forbid the infringement of certain rights and freedoms by federal and state governments.

Pay Equity

According to an article written by Tara Murphy and Helen Zheng, if sexism is unconscious or deliberate, it is clear that there is a gender pay gap worldwide. The gender pay gap, however, is not just one phenomenon. To determine the size of the difference within the company, it should be viewed holistically and in the sense of other variables. Organizations should also regularly and constantly update and monitor internal compensation systems to identify inequities over time and ensure the execution of long-term plans. Just because the gender pay gap is not as high as it can be considered, businesses need to develop mechanisms to identify and avoid discrimination between women and men. Looking at the article, I can see that they have created such a plan to avoid situations like this. A detailed, firm-wide audit of pay equity should be conducted by companies. Factors such as performance ratings, seniority, training, and other factors that could add to the discrepancy should be taken into account and salary evaluations should consider not only fair salary but also incentives and bonuses such as how many leadership activities workers are invited to participate, this would include a comprehensive plan, after performing an evaluation to fix any observed wage inequities by director training, updated hiring procedures and salaries. I agree with using a method such as this, to regulate pay equity. There should not be any reason why one gender should be paid more than the other due to just gender. If businesses used such a form like this one, I believe, pay equity will slowly become equal. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, females represent almost half the population within the workforce. For half of American families with children, they are the primary and co-breadwinner. Women earn more degrees from school than men. On average, though, females also earn significantly less than males. In 2018, full-time, year-round female workers made a gender wage gap of 18 million for only 82 cents per dollar received by males. This commonly cited figure can underline the degree of pay inequality; an IWPR study of women’s and men’s salaries over 15 years found that women paid for only half (49 percent) of what men earned. Also, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, on average, women earn less than men in almost any individual job for which there are sufficient data on wages for both men and women to determine a percentage of earnings. Employees in jobs mostly done by women gain just 66 percent of workers in jobs mostly done by men in middle-skilled professions. The IWPR research on occupational gender and race discrimination reveals that overt racism in wages, recruitment, and advancement appears to be an important feature in work life. According to the IWPR, Hispanic women will have to wait until 2224 and Black women will wait until 2130 for equal pay. Coming from a Hispanic woman myself, this is absolutely ridiculous by any type of standard. It is not based on laws anymore, it really is based on the people. Currently, the world is having issues with racism in general, gender equality, and many other things. These issues are getting in the way of simply caring for one another. Yes, many people have different knowledge, and they study different things, but this should not take away from what race or gender gets paid the most.

Unexpected drawbacks

Employers are commonly aware of the basic minimum wage and overtime compensation provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Ignorance of the law can lead to enormous collateral obligations. Employees who are supposed to be paid properly for every hour they work or pay a defined salary properly may be owed several times any actual wage difference. An employer who encourages a worker to work more hours than he/she is scheduled for may innocently stumble into a tragedy. Such an employee must be paid for all working hours, even if the employer has not asked or wanted the employee to work such additional hours. If a worker does not receive adequate overtime pay, the FLSA will trigger a nightmare for an employer by measuring liquidated damages. Next, a successful FLSA victim is entitled to the payment of all attorney’s fees paid in the successful prosecution of the lawsuit. These fees are assessed for the level of expertise of the lawyer on an hourly basis and may also be raised based on the level of complexity of the case. Lastly, when the employee is deemed owed overtime pay, FLSA calculates damages which usually leads to disadvantages for the employer; during this process, an employer suffers a huge financial loss.

Perspective

Looking back on wage and hours laws, I have previously been in a situation where my former operator in which he had a strong stance on his wage laws. I had always been curious about why he had his minimum wage in the way he had it, so I decided to find out why. My former operator and I are still in contact, so I contacted him about his thoughts on a living wage, minimum wage, and why he was running his store in this manner. This was some of the conversation topics that were talked about and the results of my questionnaire. My former operator made his commitment to making his business pay a living wage. In his efforts, he wanted other business owners to do the same without being forced. He later outlined his four reasons to defend his point. First, my former operator began speaking about slowing people’s motivation to perform. If one of his employees were given a very desirable wage, why should he/she push to perform higher? Secondly, he points out that not every business owner is making millions. To assume that is irresponsible. He knows business owners will work their “butts off” just to keep the doors open. A higher minimum wage would be the nail in the coffin for their businesses. Thirdly, a business owner should not be responsible for how responsible or irresponsibly his/her team lives their life. In a way, forcing them to a certain wage is forcing the employers to pay for luxury items. Lastly, he sees himself as a firm believer in earning your way. During his adolescent years, he began his career at minimum wage and feels that he was underpaid for his first decade of working. Although, his time as a fry cook was rough and he later learns how to budget himself, be responsible, and carry on without some non-necessities. From my former operator’s perspective, it is not just as simple as changing the wage. It’s about educating people on how to handle their finances and responsibilities. Raising wages without education will lead people to continue living paycheck to paycheck.

Impact on The Lone Star State

According to a UT professor, Texas will lose over a hundred thousand jobs if the minimum wage increases to $15 an hour. Texas residents would see an exponential 51.6 percent increase from their current wage of $7.25. From the UT professor’s perspective, you have a trade-off like everything in life. Some jobs are going to be lost. There will be pay raises for some people. You must choose what you want. The world reminded us that many low-wage folks are not the heads of households. Most of the folks are secondary or tertiary workers under the roof of someone else, such as teenagers. As of July 2019, Texas currently holds six percent of the national employment. According to the Congressional Budget Office report, millions of workers will see their wage increase while over a million people would lose their jobs by the year 2025. Under Title VII of the 1964 Federal Civil Rights Act, workers are not allowed to make employment decisions based on race, gender, ethnicity, sex (including pregnancy), and national origin. Additional federal laws prohibit discrimination based on age, genetic information, or impairment (if the worker is at least 40 years of age). Such laws apply to companies with at least 15 workers (for age discrimination, employers with at least 20 employees should comply with the law). Employers can not discriminate from job listings, evaluations, or hiring decisions for advancement, incentives, wages, training, unemployment, or dismissal in any aspect of the employment relationship. This ties into pay equity and how women are tied into genetic information, this includes gender, so if someone is being paid in a different manner due to their gender, it is prohibited. One thing that does get in the way of this, is, if I were a Latina woman, working for a big national company, and if I was being discriminated against due to my race, knowing that someone else does the same job I do but is getting paid more, it would definitely be hard to prove myself to the company, because they can simply say that the other employee simply has more skill than I. A company can come up with such excuses and will follow along with them just to not get convicted. This simple issue can ruin a company’s reputation which is wanted to be ignored by the big company by simply having an excuse until the matter is finished. Now, once the matter is finished, and usually from what is seen, and still, because we continue to have this issue in the world, the employee who has complained about being paid unfairly is usually fired or they have quit. Now, it is illegal to fire someone under these circumstances, due to Title VII, but employers will find little thing to fire such an employee, to possibly save their reputation from any situation like this before. I know this from personal experience, due to the fact that an employee had been complaining to management about many things, and because she was a new employee, it already seemed like we were already having issues. Management ended up firing her for another small issue. So, we know it happens, many people have witnessed these situations, and it absolutely needs to stop. If we don’t corporate with each other, we will never have equality.

References

1. Andrew Aitken & Peter Dolton & Rebecca Riley, 2019. ‘The Impact of the Introduction of the National Living Wage on Employment, Hours and Wages,’ National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Discussion Papers 501.
2. Carr SC, Haar J, Hodgetts D, Arrowsmith J, Parker J, Young-Hauser A, Alefaio-Tuglia S, Jones H. An Employee’s Living Wage and Their Quality of Work Life: How Important Are Household Size and Household Income? J Sustain Res. 2019;1:e190007.
3. Gindling, T. Does increasing the minimum wage reduce poverty in developing countries? IZA World of Labor 2018: 30 doi: 10.15185/izawol.30.v2
4. Murphy, T., & Zheng, H. (2016). What is the definition of gender pay equity? Retrieved [insert date] from Cornell University, ILR School site: http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/student/132
5. Calvasina, G. E., Calvasina, R. V., & Calvasina, E. J. (2010). COMPLYING WITH THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA): A CONTINUING LEGAL CHALLENGE FOR EMPLOYERS. Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues, 13(1), 39-52. Retrieved from http://uiwtx.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.uiwtx.idm.oclc.org/docview/747986249?accountid=7139
6. Guerin, L. (n.d.). Texas Employment Law Basics. Retrieved from https://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/research/texas/employment-law-in-texas.html
7. Prazan, P. (2019, July 12). How raising the minimum wage to $15/hour would impact Texas. Retrieved from https://www.kxan.com/news/local/how-raising-the-minimum-wage-to-15-hour-would-impact-texas/.

Minimum wage: Labor wage or welfare regulator? Minimum fee: criteria for approving

The criterion for approving a minimum wage is what the economic measure is for a troglodyte for an unqualified labor force, the basis for prestige for approving a troglodyte for a qualification is labor force and, before that, a goldmine for pay for a worker in the same sector is considered sotsialnata podrshka for financial support for the family. The criterion for a minimal fee, the sergeant, what is the argument in negotiating one social partner: pre-admissions and syndicates. Pokra, too, is the criterion for a minimal fee for one lump, a measure of nivoto for social and basic pensions, and so on, and create for the population.

On the other hand, the minimum wage e ‘solar plexus’ for the social contract is between business entities and work, not just for business, toughness and for long time periods in which the employee will earn the right to a pension. The criterion for approving a minimum payment for all the importance of mechanisms when approving a social security policy for the country and comprehending social harmony in the community.

In a secular practice, two prisons are made for approving a minimum fee. PRVIOT јa cystic golem is set as a standard for a minimum parmesan fee for a given time period (month, day, hour). Secondary from Koristi, there will be a percentage of the method for reducing the laminate for a minimal fee, with a fee for the golem in, which is not in view of the golem’s uniform for a minimal fee for the sector in the economy, and an inadequate fixed minimal border is set for one segment on the segment. at work.

The norm is based on the previous method (the normative golem for the minimum wage) is the minimum for the existential employee from an unworthy family, which can be judged by the degree on the back of the physiologist, important to the vitality of consumption, education, at home, at home bliss and use of the types and services (transport and communication).

This requires a change from the deca ovo method of cement, as a rule, pay in the land, in which case for the polemist of the affairs of the population, there will be a focus on keeping the chief of the affairs of the seed. Silata on the minimum method for existential adjust in detail the standards for the gutter for the vitality Consume on the basis that it is possible, in the presence of the syndicate, it is reasonable to use the logic on the nivnata of the position when negotiating with the employer and keep the cost of the debt.

The country is weak in the vegetable method and methodology is constrained by the vital, the consumption of land is foreseen, in the praxis of the manifesto there is a lack of zbir on the regulation of material and culture of consumption, in particular the manifesto in the potency of the culture, education, medicine, and spirituality.

Ovoјstap goes limiting the set of what is consumed per day to physiological shock from at least the material resources of the resource is not suitable for waste, thus limiting the economics of reproductive ability per family per worker and thus depriving one of the possibilities for quantitative and qualitatively differently.

What is the criterion for the secondary of the method, the cores spore dba on the minimal and cut-out fee, INTO SE Narekuva Keјc-index? Proportionate on the vegetable concord point to the degree from on approaching to posakuvanoto nivo comprehended in the zemata. Typically, in the industrialization of land, the index is from 48 to 62% in Kets e. Give the proportions for the vegetable yield of 50% of the International Organization for Labor and 60% of the European Union.

Thus, the Committee for Social Rights to Sovetsot for Europe, commented on by a member of 4 od Evropskat Botswana velba (INTO ишa popish and Rusiјa), naglasuva deca odnosot on minimal and perforated payment (no dots) did not require a bidet to be reduced by 60%. Itself, in some cases, it is not allowed, but only by 50%.

In Russia, the index is from 24% to Kets itself, but one way or two, one or two parties, little by little, the amount of harmfulness. For yes, comprehend the proportions, the constant of the golem for the minimum payment of the morale and the se zgolemy from 4330 to 10800 rubles.

At the same time, it is not easy to foresee a deck for the middle rock (until 2012) vegetable delivery (with different options for the economy and the sector for pay). up to 30%. At the very least, let me create a pazar for a model on a plate on the balancer. Ovaa state of a witness for niskata efikasnost on the mechanism for regulation on pay on the net Niva on the governing: on the field on the enterprise, sectors on the economy and regions.

Golemin normative for the minimum fee INTO CE application in Russia and in Russia and in Russia for a pheasant for shock reform in the early 90s and for a limited time period of 1.0-2.0 years. Speak, until it’s quiet, one year in 1990, at one time for a couple of months, but at the same time, more than 150% of the cost of working capacity is at least 150%. Taka, ako minimal fee for the time for the period from the shock of the reforms to serve as the main alatka

This week, the city council will be voting on whether to increase the minimum wage in our city to $15. It is reported that some workers are making as little as $7/hour or $9/hour in our city. As a council member, before I make a decision on whether to vote for the minimum wage increase or not, it is important to me to examine the issue from an economic perspective and not only an emotional one.

The common arguments surrounding an increase in the minimum wage have to do with the social arguments of creating a “living wage” for employees and also the “greed” of employers who should be using more profits to support employees. While it sounds “nice” and caring to increase the minimum wage, these are emotional, subjective arguments and I prefer a more specific analysis.

First, I would like to examine minimum wage, and wages in general, in terms of supply and demand. Wages can be equated to price, workers (potential and employed) correspond to supply and jobs correspond to demand. When thought of in these terms, the free market should set an equilibrium price for wages – a wage that maximizes efficiency and is satisfactory to both workers and employers and that is fair. Ideally, this market-determined price would cause equilibrium in the jobs supplied and the jobs demanded, minimizing unemployment rates and maximizing the number of employed. Thinking in terms of a command economy, artificially high prices (which may be compared to an artificially set minimum wage) can create a surplus of goods. In the case of minimum wage, the surplus is not an excess of wheat or steel, but workers. When there is a surplus of workers, unemployment rates rise. If our city increased the minimum wage, would we unintentionally create a surplus of workers who are unable to find work?

In the case of our city, the proposal intends to increase the minimum wage anywhere from 66% to 114%. This is a significant increase. I question whether this increase is not only sustainable but also feasible, especially if the drastic change is to take effect immediately. I also question whether this significant change will cause a shock to the job market and have unintended consequences. Using simple economics, if the price (minimum wage) goes up this drastically, it will increase the supply (workers) but the demand (available jobs) will decrease. Is this change in the minimum wage the best choice for our city? While the idea to better support workers is a noble one, our efforts may be misplaced, and we could have the opposite effect that we intended.

Though the minimum wage may artificially increase due to legal intervention, employers and employees will still be able to determine what certain work is worth. If inexperienced, unskilled work is still only worth $9 an hour in the mind of an employer, I worry that employers will find other ways to get that work done. The law only says that employees must be paid a minimum wage. The law doesn’t state that employers must hire workers at all. I already walk into fast food restaurants in this city and place my order and pay at kiosks instead of ordering with a cashier. Will increased minimum wage see more of this type of automation? Is it possible that lower wages may actually allow more workers to enter the workforce? The laws of supply and demand indicate that lower prices (wages) increase demand (jobs), though admittedly also reduce supply (workers).

Some argue that an increase in minimum wage will create a living wage. It will allow minimum wage workers to support their families. They argue that an increased minimum wage will benefit minority, young, or unskilled workers. But statistics show that the majority of minimum wage earners are not supporting families. In fact, 42% of American minimum wage earners still live with parents or other relatives. Only 15% of American minimum wage earners are supporting themselves and a dependent (Sowell, 2015, p. 21). These young, unskilled workers may be priced out of a job if the minimum wage increases. Job requirements may increase, causing these young, unskilled workers to become “unemployable.” Not only will they miss out on job opportunities now, but they will also lose out on work experience, which makes them more valuable in the future. Their lack of work and gained experience now can affect their future job earnings (Sowell, 2015, p. 230). If the price of labor increases, will these individuals the law be hoping to help even be able to get jobs?

In summary, the increased minimum wage is seen as a positive for the community, and it appeals to those who believe in social benefits. However, I do not think that many who make the argument for an increased minimum wage fully understand the economic implications of an increased wage. If they did, they may look for other opportunities to increase benefits and opportunities for our city’s youngest and most unskilled workers.