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Social impacts on increasing the minimum wage
Supply and demand effects of minimum wage
Social impacts on increasing the minimum wage
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Table of Contents
Ch. Section Page
Introduction 3
1 Economic efficiency of minimum wages 3 - 4
2 The effect on unemployment 4
3 The effect on use and cost of capital in production 4
4 The effect on cost of production and inflation 4
5 The effect on productivity 4
6 The effect on international competitiveness 4
7 The consequence for long-term sustainable economic growth and stability 4 - 5
8 The social consequence 5
9 Wage discrimination 5
10 Suggestions on dealing with unemployment 5
11 Literature consulted 5
Introduction
Minimum wage legislation was introduced in other countries as far back as 1894 in New Zealand followed by Australia in 1896, United Kingdom in 1909 and North America in 1912 (WordIQ (Online), http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Minimum_wage August 10); common to all of these introductions and also to South Africa is conflicting views on the advantages and disadvantages.
Economists, Human Resource Consultants and Human Rights Activists all have respective different arguments; however, common to all is the approach by governments to gain the favour of the voter majority. The question still remains, how beneficial then is minimum wage legislation?
Although the new legislation allotted certain rights to employees and improved the lives of many; it brought with it distinct changes to the employment market, society and the economics of South Africa. This assignment aims to illustrate the effects of the minimum wage legislation highlighting the potential negativities of such.
1. Economic efficiency of minimum wages
South Africa has suffered economically for decades due to numerous factors ranging from Apartheid to the collapse of the world economy; we have suffered double-digit inflation which reigned from 2974 to 1992 which left considerable scars. Although inflation has been reduced to single-digit levels arounf 7,8 per cent over the last ten years (Reserve Bank (Online), http://www.reservebank.co.za/internet/Publications.nsf August 10) this is still too high for an ailing economy and society to improve the basic standard of living.
Studies have shown an inverse relationship between the implementation of a minimum wage and the demand for labour as illustrated below:
"DD" and "SS" are the demand and supply of labour respectively. The original equilibrium wage is "We" and the quantity of labour employed is "Ne". The imposition of a minimum wage at "Wm" decreases the quantity of labour demanded to "Nm" and thus causes unemployment. (Mohr, Fourie, associates, 2000:389)
The resultant advantageous effects may be;
Reduced dependency of the low-paid on state benefits, which may result in tax reduction
Stimulation for economic growth by discouraging labour-intensive industries.
Adversely, the disadvantages may be;
Increase in unemployment for low-wage earners
Raising employment barriers for people with little or no work experience
Curbing economic growth due to higher labour costs
Labour becomes more expensive resulting in discouraging investment
Well, raising the minimum wage has both the pros and cons. Still, the fact that increasing the minimum wage nationwide would increase millions of workers’ earnings is deniable. I suppose that’s why some people advocate raising the minimum wage will grow the economy for everyone. In 2014, the president of the United States, Obama, called on the current Congress to raise the national minimum wage, which proves that Obama actually supports raising the minimum wage. ‘February 2014 Congressional Budget Office Report The Effects of a Minimum-Wage Increase on Employment and Family Income is the latest attempt to do so, in this response to Members of Congress with respect to an increase in the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour.’
The United States has maintained a minimum wage which was enacted since 1938. At the present time there is much political debate in regarding to increase the minimum wage to levels at the federal level, state, and local levels of government across this country. There are various theories regarding the minimum wage. Some believe it would circulate money into the economy faster which would negate and negative effects on employment, or even improve unemployment rates. Others point to the economic theory of supply and demand, and claim it will increase the unemployment rate. Both of these are simply theories and must be shown to have real life implications. Are moderate increases in the minimum wage above the equilibrium market rate an effective policy tool in combating poverty? We can test this by comparing the unemployment rates of states without minimum wages above the federal level to those who do have state minimum wages above. Also something that has not been previously looked at is the minimum wages effects on the underemployment rates. I have found that these moderate increases of the minimum wage do not seem to have an adverse effect on the unemployment rates in the states that have adopted them. They may even have beneficial effects on unemployment rates. However they may have a small effect on underemployment rates. Also I will survey low-income individuals to see how it impacted their lives.
The arguments for and against the minimum wage have been ongoing. On one hand, it’s simply a supply and demand issue. As prices (or wages) rise, the demand for that product (or labor) decreases—in other words, employers will simply stop or slow down their hiring. If the minimum wage increases too much, then it could even force some smaller firms out of business. Then even more people will be out of work. On the other hand, better paid employees could feel more motivation to increase their productivity. And increase in a company’s productivity could be high enough that, in order to keep up supply, it might need to hire even more employees. In this case, raising the minimum wage has increased employment.
Minimum wage is a difficult number to decide on because it affects different income earning citizens in different ways. According to Principles of Microeconomics, by N. Gregory Mankiw, minimum wage is a law that establishes the lowest price for labor that and employer may pay (Mankiw 6-1b). Currently, the minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 per hour. For many years politicians and citizens have argued on what should be the minimum wage that would benefit the economy and society in general. A minimum wage was first established in 1938 to increase the standard of living of lower class workers. To discuss what is better for the country and its citizens, people have to understand what is a minimum wage and what are its effects.
Minimum wage was established state wide in 1938 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt; at that time it was only 25 cents which is equivalent to 4 dollars in today’s world. It was established as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act which covered youth, government and overtime pay. Massachusetts was actually the first state before Franklin’s statewide acknowledgement, and it only covered woman and children without overtime. There are lot of issues with minimum wage now such as setting a statewide minimum wage to $10.10, which does not benefit places were living is expensive such as in New York. It leads to an imbalance in different states’ economies, and the government setting price controls in wage has some issues.
In the eyes of the employees, the minimum wage raise is mostly a pro for them. There are three main reasons why increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour would give benefits to both the employer and employees. Workers can make a decent living with a pay of $15 per hour. These people will then have a higher income that will enable them to pay their basic needs and living expenses. Back then in 2013, a report from the Congressional Budget Office estimated that 16.5 million low-wage workers would benefit from a $10.00 per hour wage; this includes 900,000 works coming up the poverty line ("The Effects of a Minimum-Wage Increase on Employment and Family Income"). So if employees receive a pay S15.00 an hour, the fewer people ar...
One way raising minimum wage will be beneficial is that it could lift many Americans out of poverty. Raising the minimum wage in Illinois, would help the families of more than 1.1 million workers who work to meet their children’s basic needs and “reduce the adverse effects of poverty on a child’s well-being” (Fiscal Policy Center). Studies have shown that raising the minimum wage would help 1 in 5 Illinois families who are in poverty. By raising the minimum wage in Illinois, it would help workers with families spend money on food, housing, gas, and other needs without going into poverty. Along with puling Americans out of poverty, raising the minimum wage could also stimulate economic growth. Raising the minimum wage, is stimulating economic growth by worsening the income inequality and substantially reducing the employee turnover for the business. Increasing a person’s income would raise their yearly earnings by $3,640 and “Improve the economic security and reduce the economies poverty rate” (Fiscal Policy Center). Low-wage workers spend most of what they earn on their basic needs, which is quickly spent and does not leave the worker with much money left to spend on other needs. This boost in the minimum wage will stimulate the economy and help create opportunities for more people, by hiring more workers to keep up with the
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
The definition of Minimum Wage is “an amount of money that is the least amount of money per hour that workers must be paid according to the law” (Minimum wage). Minimum wage, like other laws, are used to keep the economy in line. Minimum wage laws were invented in Australia and New Zealand with the purpose of guaranteeing a minimum standard of living for unskilled workers. (Linda Gorman) Minimum wage puts a price on the services one offers. Many different principles can be used to explain Minimum wage and explore the different aspects of it. Including what minimum wage does for our economy and the current status of it.
Having minimum wage causes many people to become jobless all so a certain amount of people could live comfortably. Cooper believes that today’s workers are “stuck in jobs that pay so little they struggle to afford basic necessities.” Yes, some people may have trouble affording basic necessities, but at least they have some money that will help them out even if it’s just a little. A low paying job can make a difference between having nothing to eat at all or three small meals every day. If minimum wage increases, than the lives of many people would become even more difficult, and unbearable. A job that pays a little money is better than no job at all.
Overall, an increase in the minimum wage could bring many benefits to Americans such as families being able to afford education, healthcare, food, and other necessities without having to choose between resources. The workers incomes are not sufficient to cover a family's needs, so an increase could raise a family's income, create more economic equality, and help consumer spending. The economy could improve if the wages increased because families would not be torn between where their money must be spent. An increase in the minimum wage could create a thriving economy if the wealth was distributed equally to help Americans in need.
On the other side of the argument Americans believe that with the increase of minimum wages it would help Americans out a lot more. One possible way that the increase in minimum wage may help an individual out is in the article Minimum wage Pros and Cons, “The Economic Policy Institute stated that a minimum wage increase from the current rate of $7.25 an hour to $10.10 would inject $22.1 billion net into the economy and create about 85,000 new jobs over a three-year phase-in period. Though this may be true, one problem
Professor Joseph Sabia argues that raising the minimum wage can make small businesses would have to lay off workers (2012, pg.1). Even though it is valid that federal minimum wage could force businesses to lay off their workers, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy argues that minimum wages history indicates no negative impact on employment or jobs (As cited in Sabia, 2012). Perhaps, businesses should reduce their top paying salaries to meet the regulations of new minimum wages. Minimum wage for businesses does not increase unemployment nor would it reduce job
On the 1st of April 1999, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) was introduced in the UK at a rate of £3.60 per hour for workers aged 21 and older, and at a rate of £3.00 for workers aged 18-21. Since then, it has grown steadily to reach a rate of £6.31 per hour today. The NMW is “the minimum pay per hour that almost all workers are entitled to by law” (www.gov.uk). In 1999, 1.9 million people were paid less than £3.60, sometimes even below the Living Wage due to the dismantling of unions by the Thatcher government. The idea of a minimum wage then came up, supported by the Labour Party, in order to reduce the increasing poverty and to prevent low wages workers from being exploited by their employers. The Conservative Party, supported by employers, was strongly opposed to this project, arguing that a minimum wage will damage the economy and create poverty due to higher unemployment levels. So, how does the NMW really affect poverty and employment in the UK?
Poverty is one of the greatest problems facing South Africa. South African families live in very unsatisfactory conditions. The South African government works hard to bring down the rate of poverty but it also seems to increase as they try.