Should the Government Raise the Minimum Wage?
The government raising the minimum wage could benefit some but harm others. Overall however, the benefits would outweigh the costs. There is a chance that there will be a decrease in job openings, risk of being laid off current jobs, and reduction in hiring. However, none of these are a given. The government should raise the minimum wage in order to benefit the people who are underpaid daily, and raise people’s standards of living. “6.6 million people will benefit from a rise in the minimum wage.” -Russ Carnahan
The minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 an hour. Often, that can be enough to provide for a lower class family, but often not. That will just be the absolute basics. For things like college tuition, and life insurance there will not be enough to go around. When people work hard daily and barely get paid enough to to get by, it’s shameful. The government can raise the minimum wage even by just a few dollars, and that can make a huge difference.
…show more content…
In turn, this will lower the amount of jobs available. In areas with higher living costs, a higher minimum wage can make sense (Johnson, 2016). However, in lower class areas, the potential for consequence is higher. However, it is still not extremely likely. If someone has a job, they are more likely to keep and benefit at the same time because of the increased wages. Additionally, high-quality academic research confirms that modest increases in the minimum wage have not led to detectable job losses (Economic Policy Institute). Not only that but raising the minimum wage will actually “result in a significant increase in GDP and employment,” according to a study performed by Doug Hall and David