...Introduction Minimum wage refers to the lowest hourly, daily or monthly wage an employee is legally entitled to when working. Minimum wage is in effect in a range of different jurisdictions with differences in the views on the advantages and disadvantages being disputed by people. Supporters claim minimum wage increases the standard of living for workers whilst reducing poverty. Opposite views are that if it is high enough to be effective then it increases unemployment, particularly among workers who are inexperienced or handicap, thus harming the lesser skilled workers to benefit the better skilled workers The effect on employment rates due to minimum wage rates is a highly contested policy within economics. The introduction of minimum wage into the market can lead to competitive employers cutting employment; this depends on the rate of the wage rises require to comply with the current minimum wage according to the “standard textbook model”. Other models have also been suggested in which a decline in the employment rate may not occur and in fact employment may increase. During my research I found a wide range of literature on minimum wages, particularly on the effects of a minimum wage policy in place. Though a lot of informative research was concluding I also found the argument between weather the effects and positive of negative on employment, both sides of the disagreement present a large amount of information supporting the theories. Research before the 1990’s mostly...
Words: 2611 - Pages: 11
...only get paid minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is set at $7.25, as of 2009. Over the past 79 years, the national minimum wage has been raised 22 times (Minimum Wage Mythbusters). The wage has been increased due to inflation, or the decrease in value of currency. With inflation, everyday objects cost more than they did 70 years ago. The minimum wage today is less compared to the minimum wage of 1981. The base pay needs to be raised for the good of the people, and the good of the country. Increasing minimum wage in the United States will reduce its poverty, boost economic activity, and benefit and reward...
Words: 1126 - Pages: 5
...Smith, Advertising Department Supervisor From : Jason Vu, Advertising Associate Date : March 24, 2010 Re : New Approach for Extra Income As a consequence of the recent increase in minimum wages, there is an increase in the discretionary income of our current advertising base. People with more money tend to spend more. Our current advertising approach does not take this into consideration. This is a proposal to modify the approach in our advertising strategy so that we can take advantage of the coming shift in our advertising base and enhance our advertising revenue by expanding our potential client base. The rationale behind the proposal and its implementation will be elaborated in the following report. When people have achieved basic survival needs such as food, shelter, and relatively secured physical and financial safety, they seek to attain things that they haven’t yet possess, such as status symbols or a sense of belonging to an exclusive group. If we can encourage our existing advertisement consumers to spend their extra income, hence shift the demand of our current advertising base to consume more upscale products, then we stand to gain an expanded and more profitable set of ads buyers. This project is a market study in potential new products in which ads targeted for the new minimum wage consumers segment can be created. This project will determine the current advertising consumers’ income. The result of this project will be used in devising a strategy to create and...
Words: 2374 - Pages: 10
...Overview of the Federal Minimum Wage The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a law that guarantees employees and youth a fair minimum wage and overtime pay. It is regulated by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL); it mandates employers to pay all nonexempt employees a federal minimum wage no less than the determine amount set by the government (U.S. DOL, 2011). Unfortunately, the federal minimum wage still sits at $7.25 per hour and has remained the same since George W. Bush signed a law to change it on July 24, 2009 (Risher, 2013; U.S. DOL, 2011). So, why did so many government officials decline the increase of the federal minimum wage and why do they fear the positive impact that the increase will have on America? This paper intends to briefly discuss six laws, all pertaining to federal minimum wage introduced to the House of Representatives within a year and highlight one member of the senate who disapproved the law for passing. In addition, this paper will briefly point out statements made about why some Senators chose to decline the bill; and finally, this paper intends to briefly explain any legal issues preventing the wage increase and implications for management. Start of Hope: Minimum Wage Fairness United States senators and representatives have introduced numerous federal minimum wage bills to the House of Representatives in order to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) during their term. These bills were designed to either...
Words: 3510 - Pages: 15
...THE LIVING WAGE AND ITS EFFECT ON THE ECONOMY INTRODUCTION The topic of our study investigates the living wage and its effect on the economy. A survey will be distributed asking questions about wages, cost of living, and making ends meet. Our conclusions and recommendations on the topic of living wages will result from this survey. BACKGROUND The definition of living wage is “a term used to describe the minimum hourly wage necessary for a person to achieve some specific standard of living. This means a person working forty hours a week, ”should be able to afford housing, food, utilities, transportation, health care and recreation” at a basic level. (Wikipedia.org). Currently, a living wage is set by local municipalities based on a local cost of living assessment, and applies only to government employees and/or contractors. This is different from minimum wage, which is set by law through the Federal government. The federal minimum wage is the minimum amount that a worker can be paid an hour and this law applies to nearly all workers. In Michigan, the minimum wage is currently $7.40 an hour. Minimum wage does not always meet the requirements of a living wage. (Wikipedia.org). For example, in 2008, East Pointe, MI paid its employees a living wage of $10.40/hr , while Detroit, MI paid its employees and contractors $8.25/hr, both with health benefits in comparison to $7.40/hr Federal minimum wage.(laborstudies.wayne.edu/ According to the Economic Policy Institute...
Words: 4342 - Pages: 18
...ENG 111 10 March 2014 The Reasons Why Federal Minimum Wage Is Raised U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order on February 12, 2014 to raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers to $10.10 an hour starting next year and encouraged employers nationwide to increase wages for their workers. The president also announced during his State of the Union address last month that he intended to take executive action to raise wages for federal contract workers (Mason). Order to understand this issue, we are going to understand what the Federal Minimum Wage is and when started it in the U.S.A. According to the United States Department of Labor (USDL), early in the administration of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA), it started to be apparent that the use of the legal minimum wage was prone to producing undesirable efforts upon the financial systems of Puerto Rico and also the Virgin Island if put on all their covered industries. As a result, on June 26, 1940, an amendment was passed prescribing the establishment of special industry committees to find out, and problem through wage orders, the minimum, wage levels relevant in Puerto Rico and also the Virgin islands. The rates established by industry committees might be under the legal rates relevant elsewhere within the United States. In 1949, the minimum wage was elevated from 40 cents an hour or so to 75 cent an hour so for those employees and minimum wage coverage was extended to incorporate employees in mid-air...
Words: 1800 - Pages: 8
...Issue 4, pp. 258-269. The issue of the minimum wage permitted by law increments has been disputable since the initiation of the base wage law in 1938. The minimum wage permitted by law, which incorporates tyke work laws, was established to shield American specialists from exploitation and poverty during tough economic times (Schuldt, Robert; Woodall, Davis; Block, Walter E., (2012). Despite the fact that the law achieved what it was planned to at the time, increments in the minimum wage permitted by law through the years have delivered higher unemployment rates and higher destitution levels. As the minimum wage permitted by law expands, managers are compelled to dispense with representatives who are not living up to expectations up to the current the minimum wage permitted by law level and contract better-gifted individuals who are justified regardless of the wages they are paid. Expanding the minimum wage permitted by law causes an increment in unemployment among specific populaces for this very reason. Totally dispensing with the minimum wage permitted by law is not the answer for the issue, however in the event that the minimum wage permitted by law stays at its current level for a couple of more years, it may rouse the minimum wage permitted by law workers to accomplish more to ensure their own budgetary future. The civil argument over raising the minimum wage permitted by law has been a hotly debated issue after President...
Words: 1825 - Pages: 8
...factors. E.g… wage settlements. Labour market situation. Company’s nature and size. etc. Pay structure consists of certain grades. Scale and range of pay in each scale. Each scale has aminimun and a maximum limit. Jobs places within a particular grade carry the same value though the actual pay in a grade depends upon length of service and or performance of the employee. Pay structure in India generally consists of the following components. 1- Basic wage/salary 2-Dearness allowance (D.A.) and other allowances. 3- Bonus and other incentives. 4- fringe benefits or perquisites. Hard variables • Salary • Augmented pay- overtime, extra pay, one time stuff • Indirect pay –things needed for work, uniform allowance, etc. • Parks pay – discount on company’s products, etc. Soft variables • Opportunity for advancement • Opportunity for growth • Psychic income – doing personally meaningful work • Quality of life – workplace flexibility, work-life balance • The X-factor- special individual variables like bringing a dog to work. 1. Basic Wage The basic wage provides the foundation of pay pocket. It is a price for services renderd. It varies according to mental and physical requirements of the job as measured through job evaluation. In India, basic wage has been influences by statutory minimum wage, wage settlements, and awards of wage boards tribunals pay commissions, etc. (a) Minimum wage- Minimum wage is that wage which is sufficient...
Words: 1336 - Pages: 6
...in the UK must get a minimum level of pay. This is called: The National Minimum Wage (NMW), you can be paid more than the national minimum wage but you must not be paid less. Although minimum wage laws are in effect for many years, there are some differences of opinion still existing about the benefits and drawbacks of a minimum wage. The main aim of the national minimum wage is to reduce poverty and to reduce the level of pay differences between men and women. Other aims include reducing the exploitation of low paid workers and improving incentives for people to look for paid work in the market. While it is clear that socially and morally the NMW is a good thing, the economic benefits out of the NMW have been an issue for years. Many economists believe the minimum wage law costs the economy thousands of jobs, because they would be unable to afford to employ more people, and also because other workers would bid up their own wages in an attempt to maintain their differentials with the low-paid workers. Additionally, imposing a minimum price for anything will in general reduce the quantity that is traded. A minimum wage may improve the income of a few, but will deprive others of income. However, the government Officials in The Department of Trade and Industry say there is no evidence that the minimum wage will cost jobs, and the employment consequences of a minimum wage are not certain. An official spokesman said: "In the long run, the additional wage costs will be offset...
Words: 333 - Pages: 2
...Raising the minimum wage would help get the economy moving again and recover from recession. Many advantages will occur by raising the minimum wage such as creating a positive impact on working families, businesses, and state economies. By increasing workers incomes, the economy will move forward due to the rise of demand. In addition, worker productivity will be improved and there will be more job employment opportunities. By creating more jobs, the significant issue of unemployment will decrease. Raising t he minimum wage is essential for establishing a sustainable economy and living wage for the people. An increase in the minimum wage will boost worker productivity and increase employee morale. Business efficiency and loyalty throughout the work place will improve. The author Kathlene McDonald mentions the importance of benefiting the living wage in her article “Same Goals, But Another Way Of Getting There” by arguing that “raising wages would create fairer working...
Words: 703 - Pages: 3
...The Business of the Minimum Wage • Quantity demanded of employees decreases when quantity supplied of potential employees increases, as minimum wage increases from $7.25 to $10.10. • The green dot shows original equilibrium, when minimum wage was at $7.25. Raising Minimum Wage: WHO GAINS •Government receives higher income tax due to increase in wages. •Low income families are likely to receive more positive impact from new increase wages. WHO LOSES •Potential workers may face potentially unemployment since now employers may not hire as many employees due to increased wage expenses. •Consumers ends up paying a high price for goods and services. •Job market will shrink due to employers reacting to increased wage expenses. DIFFERENCE •Inflation rate will increase. IN IMPACT ASSESSMENT •Pros: To stimulate employers competition and to reduce lower labor turnover •Cons: The positive impacts of a new minimum wage is short-lived since costs and prices will react to this change. Wage => Cost => End Price IS RAISING MINIMUM WAGE A GOOD IDEA? No, because the consequences outweigh the benefits. At first glance, the benefits are positive, but are in fact superficial. In the long-run, the positive impacts are minimal. Bibliography • Romer, C.D., March 2, 2013. The Business of the Minimum Wage. The New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/business/theminimum-wage-employment-and-incomedistribution.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 • “Los...
Words: 259 - Pages: 2
...mininmum wage. According to McKenzie and Lee (2010) minimum wages imposed at the state and federal level are examples of price floors; a price (or wage) below which a specified good (labor) cannot be sold. If congress imposes a binding minimum wage that is above the equilibrium it creates a surplus of workers. A minimum wage above the equilibrium (Ec) shifts the demand curve (demand for employment) to the left represented by Em. The effects of a binding minimum wage can be both positive and negative. Workers that already employed will receive the benefits of a hirer rate of pay. On the other hand, this creates a surplus of workers who have entered the market because of the higher opportunity cost. There is a chance that those workers in the market at the present time could be replaced by those with a higher opportunity cost (Em2). The impact of mandating minimum wages depends on the firms ability to adjust nonmoney conditions at work, or fringe benefits. Typically, the firm will reduce fringe benefits or increase work demands to offset the effects of a binding minimum wage. Workers may choose to leave the market if the value of the loss of fringe benefits and greater work demands exceeds the higher rate in pay. That being said, the impact of a binding minimum wage can make both the workers and the employers worse off. Monopsony and Minimum Wages. Em2 Em2 Surplus of workers Surplus of workers 2. Can ‘twisiting’ the pay structure at a firm (paying wages below...
Words: 1040 - Pages: 5
...describe the major features of the US Department of Labor Website at http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/health-plans/cobra.htm. The first feature is Wages Subtopics. Wages Subtopics provide additional information employees can use to help monitor their wage benefits. By choosing from the Wages subtopics list it will also help employees narrow their browsing. This information is useful so that employees and employers understand employee qualification for benefit programs. The Department of Labor enforces the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA), which sets basic minimum wage and overtime pay standards. These standards are enforced by the Department's Wage and Hour Division. This law was enacted in 1938. It protects workers by setting standards for minimum wage, overtime pay, record keeping and youth labor. FLSA covers full-time and part-time workers in the private sector and in federal, state, and local governments. The law may apply to you because of the type of company or organization for which you work, known as enterprise coverage, or the type of work you do, called individual coverage (Roseburg, 2013). Minimum Wage Non-exempt employees must be paid a national minimum wage established by the US Congress. As of July 24, 2009 that wage is $7.25 per hour. Some states have set their own minimum wage. The employer must pay federal or state wages-whichever is higher. Overtime Pay Employers must give overtime pay to non-exempt employees who work over 40 hours per week. They must pay these...
Words: 1793 - Pages: 8
...22/06/15 The Effect of a Raise in the Minimum Wage on Employment and Profitabilty in the RMG Sector of Bangladesh, Drawing Sources From Other Developing Countries The study of minimum wages has led to many debates surrounding the topic whether a raise in minimum wage can kill businesses in profitability and employment or the change in profitability and employment is insignificant. This is a hot topic for policy makers in both developed and developing countries as a raise in minimum wage affects the economy in terms of economic growth, standards of living for the poor, survival of businesses and employment. A lot of research and literature has shown that a hike in minimum wages do not particularly affect the developed nations but the same hikes in developing countries can cause damage to firms depending on the size of the firms and their profitability. This paper attempts to show that the garments sector in Bangladesh (Ready made Garments Industry) faces the same dilemma. Since the Savar tragedy in late 2013 where a garment factory, Rana Plaza, collapsed which killed more than 1,100 people and injured and more than 2,500 people injured, garment workers and civil society demanded a raise of minimum wage from 3000 tk to 5,300 tk every month. This tragedy and similar events in developing countries lead us to think how businesses especially in the developing countries where wage rates and productivity are low can operate if minimum wage is suddenly increased threefold and why...
Words: 2415 - Pages: 10
...used to seeing is raising the minimum wage. A) Due to the current economic situation, many consumers are having a difficult time purchasing products they need. Consumers cannot save money since the cost of living has increased drastically. Consumers need additional funds and the government is perhaps their best hope to receive that. B) Raising the minimum wage for employees has far more advantages, especially during a time like this, then keeping the minimum wage static. II) One of the reasons that raising the minimum wage is critical is because the cost of living has increased. C) The neglect of increasing the minimum wages over the past 10 years has caused numerous families to suffer into poverty level. Due to the cost of living increasing, more and more families have had to find alternative ways to live a normal life. These challenges over time become more and more difficult and it is becoming too common in our society. D) Most families in large cities need about $30,000-40,000 annual income for bills and necessities alone. This often times can be accomplished if the economy is well and jobs are available. However, due to job troubles and many businesses laying-off employees, there does not seem to be enough money available to pay these residents to earn what is necessary. III) Many people would benefit from a raise in minimum wage. It would benefit taxpayers, poor families, as well as businesses. E) The group it would benefit the most are the poor families...
Words: 343 - Pages: 2
