Minimum wage and unemployment
Both are up. We knew that would happen because the history of minimum wage shows that employers, especially the smaller ones, will eliminate positions filled by the marginally useful employee in order to pay for the increase for the more useful employee. Besides, it was a safe campaign promise in 2006. Only about 10 states weren't paying more than the federally mandated minimum. The minimum wage now is $5.85, but in Alaska it's $7.15, in San Francisco $9.36, in Ohio $7.00, and in Washington, $8.07.Read what Amy has to say about the relationship.
What minimum wage buys is more votes. First, tell low income people that your party is their only hope; then when they buy into that, make sure they stay poor.
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I'm not so sure about unemployment. I was offered another job just last week but I decided I like my current one just fine.
A local restaurant where I had breakfast Friday had a sign up that the service was slow because they were shorthanded as they are having trouble keeping staff who leave for better paying jobs.
The local school district is and has been in a massive recruiting effort for bus drivers for at least the last year. Heck the school bus driver gig pays more than some local MLS librarian positions. Heck their health insurance costs less than mine.
These are not bad jobs, just jobs that people don't really want. When the pendulum swings to the 'I'll take any job available' mindset rather than 'I'd rather sit on my arse and complain' mindset I'll start listening to the doomsday predictions. Until then it is just Chicken Little.
Minimum wage is paid to so few workers the ones most injured by its increase are students working after school and during the summer. If the price of an employee goes up for an employer the student with no skills will be less valuable than the retiree with 40 years of experience (in something even if it is not related) who knows what punctuality and responsibility mean.
Why hire a kid at the McDonalds counter who can't make change when you can have a retired bookkeeper for the same price and be assured the retiree will come in every day, be on time, and not be sleeping off a bender. I'd hire the grandmother.
Maybe all the media stories about higher unemployment is also a myth? Or maybe it's just your city?
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