Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Positive and negative effects of minimum wage
Effects and implementation of minimum wage
Effect of the United States minimum wage
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Positive and negative effects of minimum wage
Can the world survive on minimum wage? How many people rely on minimum wage? America let’s make a difference for those that make low wages; even with education some are still making the minimum wage. Most Americans in the U.S. work at minimum wage jobs; workers complain because they do not have enough money to provide for their families. This problem is affecting many; minimum wage has not gone up since 2016. The minimum wage earnings are at $7.25 an hour, that is not that much. This is the reason why people have to go to the government for assistance. Overall, some workers cannot provide for their families making it stressful for them; those who are in college will not be able to pay their tuition because of minimum wage. These two reasons leads to people voting for $12 an hour in four states but the question is will it be equal for everyone? …show more content…
Workers cannot support their families off of minimum wage, which can be stressful; the workers sometimes have to go out of their way to support their families to make more money.
Most workers have turned to Uber because of minimum wage, and Uber is easy,quick money. Since Uber knows about the minimum wage, the people who use Uber as their app already considered an employee for their company. Uber’s advertising states that people can use this app to make their own money; being self-employed they say. As a result London and America is going through the same problems with minimum wage (Chapman). Young workers should start at a low wage because they are new to the company and how it works, but on the other hand as the years go on and they are still working at that job their pay should raise; especially if they are a good hard worker and if they have a tuition fee to pay or bills (Jacobson). Some might think that minimum wage does not affect people, but it is the main reason why people struggle and do not have a place to
live. Maine, Arizona, Colorado, Washington fight for $15 an hour as signs are held up in public places, many people have also voted for this hourly rate to be raised. The following states have increased to $12 an hour, meanwhile Washington changed their rate to $13.50. The income has improved so much in certain states, but this hourly rate should be in every state. If these benefits increase to $15 an hour this will fulfill many people and the government would not have many people on their assistance, millions of people might even be able to pay their debts and bills (Hoover). Barack Obama has supported to raise minimum wage to $10.10 an hour; he did passed the Executive order but hopefully this would be announced to all companies (Jacobson). Not only can we as community come together for the better, but America needs votes all around the world to make a difference for the minimum wage rate. By 2020 minimum wage will be $12 an hour, this is to boost the economy and to support people and their families (Hoover). Will minimum wage be equal for everyone? In 1979 America did not pay people the same equal amount because of the color of their skin, this change might lead into discrimination not only by color but by age, gender and ect. The gap between a white man and black man was 18 percent, even being a black educated male the pay was still minimum wage. Two researchers say that increasing discrimination and increasing income inequality; the researchers blame that discrimination is the reason why people had low wages in 1979 (Guo). Wages have been very sluggish throughout expansion, but over the past year hourly earnings have raised from 2.6 percent. The overall expansion was roughly 2 percent growth, leaving people with crappy pay (Mitchell). Companies say that wages have grown 22 times recently in 2009, but still maintain minimum wage (Jacobson). There might be equal ways and might be unfair ways. The percentages are causing the struggle for most people, we will know as the time flies by in 2020. If the minimum wage rate does go up, that means that the expenses will go up on houses, cars, company brands and the low wage workers will still not make enough for those needy things in life; expenses will go up but many will have homes just not nice things like others. The increase of minimum wage will cause big business people to be laid off, but those who get laid off from big industries can apply for minimum wage just on till they get into another company; bills will be paid. The increase of minimum wage and how it would affect others in society could cause a lot of cruel things. With this said no matter what situation it is there will always be some kind of cruel outcome. Many will be affected by minimum wage and some would have joy for it, but the main thing is that many will have a place to live. Although others think that minimum wage should not increase because prices will change but on the other hand it can help others survive and they will not have to ask the government for assistance; people will be able to take full responsibility (Hoover). With it all said, minimum wage can be a life changer for everyone in America. There will always be problems, but we can solve this one by changing rates of minimum wage. This can make an opportunity for everyone to have better homes and jobs. Minimum wage workers are struggling here in America, some cannot pay their bills. While others only make enough to pay bills and then can not afford nothing else after that paycheck. Americans should work together to pass a law that regards to minimum wage strictly. If America changed minimum wage then the government would have more money, because those who would get paid more in their wage would be able to support themselves and others. Not only a life changer but also for the communities all around America. The government could pass laws that can raise minimum wage or more programs can be created to help those with low income.
The United States minimum wage is not indexed to inflation. Due to this fact, the purchasing power of minimum wage falls as the price of consumer goods increases. The current hourly minimum wage is set at $7.25, however many states do pay above this rate. One example of this is in Michigan, the current hourly minimum wage is $7.40. The last time a change occurred to raise minimum wage was in 2009. President Obama has put out a proposal that is designed to raise the federally required hourly minimum wage to $10.10 in 2015. The public opinion of this proposal is all over the board ranging from a positive outlook to a negative one. Some of the negative remarks are that it would dampen the economy and shrink the hiring done by small businesses. “The Household Survival Budget for the average New Jersey family of four is $58,500 and for a single adult is $25,368 in 2010. These numbers highl...
Understanding the basic concept of minimum wage is important for every single individual. We all live in this world together, and it is obvious that there is an order. In order to continue our lives and afford our basic needs, we all need to work and gain wealth. As the old adage says ‘‘There ain’t such a thing as a free lunch. ’’
Minimum wage is a topic that has been popping up since the 1980s. From whether we should lower it, or even raise it, but now in the 2000s minimum wage has been the center of attention more than ever. There are two sides to this topic of minimum wage; whether it creates more jobs or does not create jobs. Those who argue that raising minimum wage will create more jobs will have a rebuttal which is that it does not only cause the loss of jobs but that it would make things much worse and vice versa for those arguing raising minimum wage will cause loss of jobs. There will be two authors representing opposite views, Nicholas Johnson supporting minimum wage will not cost jobs with his article “ Evidence Shows Raising Minimum Wage Hasn’t Cost Jobs”
“Minimum wage increases often lead to employers replacing disadvantaged adults who need a job with suburban teenagers who do not.” says James Sherk. Currently, minimum wage earners are seven times more likely to be teenagaers instead of adults. In fact, half of the 3.8 million people employed in minimum wage jobs are under the age of twenty-five (Furchtgott-Roth). Many people use minimum wage jobs as a ...
Currently, in the United States, the federal minimum wage has been $7.25 for the past six years; however, in 1938 when it first became a law, it was only $0.25. In the United States the federal minimum wage has been raised 22 times since 1938 by a significant amount due to changes in the economy. Minimum wage was created to help America in poverty and consumer power purchasing, but studies have shown that minimum wage increases do not reduce poverty. By increasing the minimum wage, it “will lift some families out of poverty, while other low-skilled workers may lose their jobs, which reduces their income and drops their families into poverty” (Wilson 4). When increasing minimum wage low-skilled, workers living in poor families,
Poverty continues to grow in America. The average minimum wage in the United States is $7.35 an hour- far too low in today’s society. Key expenses, for example, gas and housing prices, have gone up significantly since the minimum wage was last changed in 2007 (Wagner 52). The laws creating the minimum wage were intended to improve the standard of living and decrease poverty. Raising minimum wage is a vital step in decreasing poverty and giving every family the opportunity to survive and succeed. Millions of hard-working Americans are below the poverty line and need an increase in pay. Minimum wage must be raised because it will diminish poverty and assist the working class to support their families.
A federal minimum wage was first set in 1938. The first minimum wage was just 25 cents an hour in 1938. Can you imagine surviving off of 25 cents an hour? Now just over 70 years later the federal minimum wage is now 7.25. The question at hand is the federal minimum wage enough to meet the minimum requirement for a good, happy and healthy life? Some states and cities say no. While a select few states and cities have mirrored the federal minimum wage of 7.25, some states have placed their state or city/county minimum wage marginally higher than the federal minimum wage. So why would some states prefer to have a higher level than required by the federal minimum wage when some state have decided to match or even go below the federal minimum wage level. The answer to this question lies within each state city and county and how they perceive the cost of living in the presiding area. Minimum wage needs a makeover in America despite some of the negative effects that may come along with it. This paper will explore the reasons behind federal and state minimum wages and why some of them differ among states counties and cities across America.
Washington has the nation’s highest minimum wage at $9.19 per hour. Seattle is set to raise the minimum wage even further, to $15 per hour. More than fifteen millions people work for a minimum wage, which lead to about fifteen thousand dollars a year. These workers would earn a lilt bit below the poverty line for a family of two (Blankinship). Seattle Mayor Ed Murray is pushing this effort since December of last year. Some council members, like Kshama Sawant of the Socialist Party, also support this measure. The federal minimum wage is currently set at $7.25 an hour, with President Obama’s plans to push it to $10.10 an hour (Weissman). Faster workers went on strike in many cities to demand better pay and right to unionize. $15 an hour is part of their demand when they protested in August of 2013 across fifty cities. In this current economy, people ages 25 to 54 are the largest group to hold fast food jobs. Since these jobs pay so little, these workers qualified and used $243 billion in public benefit per year (Covert). Although this is a popular policy, economists and journalists are conflicted in their analysis of the effect of increasing the minimum wage. Some economists found the minimum wage hikes lead to small j...
Minimum wage has been around for ages. Minimum wage employment was a temporary condition for people earning little payment until they moved on to a better paying job. These jobs helped build résumés, experiences, and skills for a better career. It has become the easiest way for people to receive easy pay. As years went on that idea began to demolish into a job that many families can get to survive and pay for their expenses. There have been many arguments going on, "Should minimum wage be raised or should it be lowered or eliminated altogether?" This action has its pros and cons. It can benefit many families as living cost has gone up, price for education is rising, and college students are in huge debts. It may increase poverty, but those
Some think that the minimum wage should not be raised, but others think that the minimum wage should be raised. If one had to be chosen, raising the minimum wage would be better. The minimum wage should be raised because if you were to work full time on minimum wage, you are below the poverty line; Also states that did raise the minimum wage above the federal standard have had more job growth than states that did not. Finally, "Minimum wage workers are much more likely to immediately go out and spend that extra money in the economy," says Heidi Shierholz of the Economic Policy Institute, which favors raising the minimum. "That's because they're often living paycheck to paycheck."
Today the federal minimum wage is $5.15, but should be about $8.50 if Congress had adjusted it for inflation over the past 35 years. While $5.15 may not seen that bad, when factoring in such variables as sky rocketing gas prices, budgets can get pretty tight. David Shepard, a sophomore at Wayne State University, worked at a Meijer Retail and Grocery Superstore for over two years while in high school. At the time Shepard lived with his parents and didn’t have to worry about paying rent or buying groceries, all that he had to pay for was filling up his gas tank and paying for his car insurance. Shepard recalled, “It was all I could do to pay for the basics like gas and bill’s, I barely had any money to have fun on the weekends”. This is only an example of a high school student that can nearly slip by on minimum wage with only a few expenses. There are 1.8 million people in America with children under the age of 18 that would benefit from an increase in minimum wage (Minimum).
On an average, a worker must make $18.92 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment in most places in the United States today (Network, Jolie Lee/USA Today). Additionally, most of the workers have to balance multiple job schedules, travel, and struggle to keep up their life going. In fact, according to the most recent available numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, (2010 Census) in December of 2011 more than 7 million people were holding 2 or more jobs. “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Benjamin Franklin (1789). In brief, people work and dies to pay the circle of education, work and taxes. The increase in minimum wage will indeed decrease a huge stone of stress of working enormous hours. The federal poverty line guideline for a family of four is 24,250 according to 2015 census. (Obamacarefact). Accordingly, a person will have to work 50 hours a week in order to fulfill the guideline. Whereby, $15 an hour will perfectly meet 40 hours work law without overtime or working multiple
Because the cost of living has sky rocketed, it has become almost impossible to raise a family on a minimum wage job. A person living on his or her own cannot survive on minimum wage job either. Their living expense would just be too much. The earnings of minimum wage workers are crucial to their families well being. Evidence from 2013 and 2014 minimum wage increase shows that an average minimum wage worker brings home more than half of his or her family's weekly earnings. In 2013 one million single mothers with children under 18 would have benefited from a minimum wage increase to $10.
In 2015, 78.2 million workers were paid at hourly rates. Which makes up 58.5 percent of all the wages and salary workers in the United States. Amongst those 870,000 workers earned exactly $7.25 per hour. The average household earns about $15,080 annually for a full- time minimum wage worker. ("Increasing the Minimum Wage: Pros & Cons") Minimum wage is the lowest wage that employers can legally pay their employees. The United States minimum wage was initially set at $0.25 per hour by The Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938. ("UC Davis Center for Poverty Research"). Due to a drastic increase to the cost of living since the early 1900s, it has then been increased to $7.25 an hour. The minimum wage should be
For the past three decades minimum wage has been seen to rise several times. Only helping some but more than anything harming most. So who are the ones feeling the effects? Certainly not the wealthy, it never is them, mainly it would be the working poor, unskilled and teenagers. Raising minimum wage would cripple the public even more than what it would actually help.