persuasive essay on minimum wage

Minimum Wage - Free Essay Samples And Topic Ideas

The concept of a minimum wage, a lower earnings limit set by law or regulation, has been a subject of extensive debate and analysis. Essays could delve into the historical evolution of minimum wage policies, the economic theories surrounding it, and the impact of minimum wage increases on employment, poverty, and income inequality. They might also discuss the differing views on minimum wage adjustments, exploring arguments from both supporters and opponents. Discussions could extend to the real-world examples of minimum wage implementations, comparing the outcomes in different regions or countries, and analyzing the broader implications of minimum wage policies on economic welfare and social equity. A substantial compilation of free essay instances related to Minimum Wage you can find at PapersOwl Website. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Why Minimum Wage should Increase

Across America, the ranks of the working poor are growing. Since 1938, when the minimum wage was first introduced (at a rate of $0.25 an hour), the federal minimum wage has increased 22 times. Twenty-one states have minimum wages at or below the federal minimum and various other states have minimum wages that are above $7.25 an hour, but still inadequate. Even though some states have higher minimum wage than others it still doesn't help the workers rise higher than […]

Minimum Wage should not be Raised

The minimum wage is currently $7.25 that had started in the year of 2009. Yet, some people still do not think it is enough. The minimum wage had started off as 25 cents per hour in the year of 1938. Many would say that is crazy, because how did they survive with only being paid a quarter hourly. Many things was much cheaper back in the them times (not all things), although people fail to realize that raising the minimum […]

Why do Different Workers Receive Different Wages?

The concept and wage structure are very diverse in countries around the world. Work is understood as salary. Salary is the price of labor power formed by an agreement between the employers and workers in accordance with the labor supply and demand relationship in the market economy. Employers pay workers according to employees' jobs. Wages are money that workers receive when they have completed a job, that job which is not prohibited by law. Wages are more directly linked to […]

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Pros and Cons of Increasing the Minimum Wage

Introduction The minimum wage is the lowest reasonable price that an employer is legally obliged to compensate for work, not including collective agreements and custom employee contracts. The federal and state governments are responsible for setting their minimum wage policies, which may differ. The aspect of wages is a grave concern in the modern world due to the discussion among economic experts, whose opinions differ on whether it should increase or stay stagnant (Kops, 2017). The increase in the minimum […]

Should the Government Raise the Federal Minimum Wage?

The federal minimum wage was first introduced in 1938 during the Great Depression under President Franklin Roosevelt. Since its introduction, it has been changed several times by Congress. The minimum wage is the lowest wage employers can legally pay their employees. It was created to help Americans in poverty and consumer power purchasing. Lately, there has been a massive political debate on whether or not to raise the minimum wage. I believe that the minimum wage should be increased since […]

Pay Gap by Gender and Race in Seattle WA

Seattle is deeply unsettled the past ten years once a national study unconcealed that the railway line space has one among the biggest genders pay gaps within the country. the foremost goal of this text is to know the sources of the convergence in men’s and women’s earnings within the public and personal sectors similarly because the stagnation of this trend in the new millennium. For this purpose, we tend to delineate temporal changes within the role vie by major […]

How could Minimum Wage Increase Help the Poor

It has long been debated whether the minimum wage would be beneficial for the poor. The minimum wage should be increased to help people from working-class families. The cost of living is so high, especially in major cities such as New York, that it is nearly unbearable to raise a family on a minimum wage income. A single-family has to make ends meet to survive on a minimum wage job. Living expenses are just too outrageous to simply live on […]

The Negative Effects of Increasing Minimum Wage

There is a current issue that is become very popular at political debates around the US; to raise the minimum wage or to not? This question rose from the Fair Labor and Standard Act of 1938 which effectively set a livable rate at which employees could sell their work. The specific question that I will be addressing is: What are the negative externalities to raising the minimum wage? Many studies, including one from the United States Bureau of Labor stated […]

Child Labor Comes up

When the topic of child labor comes up many people either say it was a bad thing, or it was a good thing. Some people may feel bad for what the kids went through and some simply don’t care. It’s okay not to care but it should at least make you wonder and feel concerned about it. Throughout history we have seen children working hard as servants or either apprentices. Yes Children have been exposed to labor work but further […]

Impacts of a Rise in Minimum Wages

Introduction The minimum wage has been, for a long time, a topic of discussion in almost all countries since it directly affects the lives of the citizens. There are arguments and counterarguments regarding the effects of the continuous rise of the minimum wages concerning the welfare of the people and the dynamics of the economy. In the U.S., low-income earners continue in the push for the rise of minimum wages. Throughout the years, due to the changes that have been […]

Minimum Wage and Prices

The price control set by the government which is related to wages for work is called minimum wage. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, but some states had passed laws that increased the amount. People should also be aware that minimum wage does not guarantee jobs. In fact, it only guarantees that the employees will earn at least the minimum amount. Raising the minimum wage can also lead to unemployment, higher prices, and disadvantages to people with […]

California Housing Crisis Research Paper

California, the land that once embodied the pioneer spirit and the American dream, now embodies the American nightmare; the rich get richer while the hardworking sink deeper into the mud of fiscal disparity. Those who cannot afford life in large cities often paradoxically cannot afford a higher paying job. Celebrities and lawyers reside in hilltop mansions while the economically lower classes flounder to make a living and stay in their homes. College graduates continue to move back into their parents’, […]

Increasing Minimum Wage for the Economy

Increasing the minimum wage may seem like an obvious decision for some; why wouldn't we pay poverty-stricken entry level workers more livable wages? However, there can be grave consequences that result from such drastic economic changes that must be considered, especially when these consequences hurt the intended beneficiaries. The minimum wage should not be increased, as increasing it will have a variety of negative economic consequences for businesses and workers, and it will be a change that will cause more […]

Why Minimum Wage should be Increased?

Throughout time minimum wage has played a big role on the way Americans make money. It has helped many people provide for themselves and their family, but with the cost of living and the economy constantly increasing it is making it harder for those who depend on a minimum wage job to be able to take care of the responsibilities they have with the little of money they are making. With the economy and cost of living constantly increasing americans […]

The Effects of Minimum Wage

The federal minimum wage is seven twenty five an hour and is most certainly fair at that price. It is the basis and starting point for many Americans climbing the job ladder. Factual evidence and statistics can show raising it will hurt many more than it would help. A wage increase is well intended but is counterproductive because it hurts our unskilled and young workers, the low income areas some who are in poverty, and also encourages more high school […]

Effects of Minimum Wage Increase on Poverty Rates

To a certain extent, I agree that it is effective in reducing poverty because it will help some workers who really come from a poor background. But if only a small percentage of the poor will benefit from it and if it helps more people who are above the poverty line than those below it, then it is not a plausible approach. If the target is to reduce poverty, then there needs to be a better solution wherein most of […]

Making Money has Become too Important in our Modern Society

Frequently, individuals say that they can live without money. They characterize money as only one of the apparatuses that upgrade people groups living climate. In any case, in actuality, money is a vital matter in people groups' lives. Albeit individuals in history may have survived the trading of merchandise and not depending on the worth of money itself, current culture today couldn't work without money. Money assumes an immense part in the general public in an assortment of ways, for […]

Positive and Negative Effects of Minimum Wage on People

I. Introduction A. Attention Getter: Imagine this: You're a single parent working a full-time minimum wage job, or multiple minimum wage jobs, and still are living paycheck to paycheck if you make enough to even provide for your family. Would minimum wage rising make this better? Or would there be a domino effect of higher prices? B. Reason to Listen: Millions of people across the country are living paycheck to paycheck off of minimum wage. Everyone's first reaction to this […]

Main Causes why Minimum Wage should Increase

There are a lot of people around the world who struggle with money because of the minimum wage. Minimum wages have been one of the biggest topics around the United States. Minimum wage is the minimum hourly wage an employer pays an employee for work. Since 1938, when the minimum wage was first introduced at a rate of $0.25 an hour, the federal minimum wage has increased 22 times. In all 50 states of America, twenty-one states have minimum wages […]

Minimum Wage Increase and Employment and Job Opportunities

For many years now, people have been arguing over the minimum wage of $7.25. Some clam that it is too low and some even clam it is too high, but I have decided to do some research on the topic. In the book, Undocumented, Dan-el's mother was a college graduate from the Dominican Republic and was compensated as such. When she later traveled to the United States to give birth to her second son, she ended up staying in the […]

The History and Understanding of the Concept of a Minimum Wage

The concept of a minimum wage is self-explanatory: employees are guaranteed a pay rate that their employers cannot legally reduce. Today, minimum wage laws play a critical role in our economy; but this was not always the case. The first minimum wage laws were enacted in New Zealand in 1894 but did not come to the United States until 1938. The 1930s were defined by the Great Depression, an economic catastrophe that crippled the world, resulting in monumental levels of […]

The Advantages and Disadvantages to Living in a Big City or Small Town

There are many advantages and disadvantages to living in a big city or a small town. Both hold certain characteristics that make them special to different individuals. One person might prefer living in a city, with its fast-paced lifestyle, while another might prefer the quietness of a small town. The different views all boil down to a person's personality. Yet, the question remains: Is living in a big city or small town better? When comparing various factors such as academics, […]

Unemployment and Minimum Wage in the US

In the United States minimum wage is talked about more than any other countries. Minimum wage is the lowest wage permitted by law or by a special agreement such as one with a labor union. (dictionary.com) As of right now the minimum wage that is established by the government is $7.25, while here in Colorado the minimum wage is higher than most other states being $10.20 per hour. (State Minimum Wages) Raising the minimum wage in the United States is […]

Minimum Wage and its Impact

Minimum Wage and Its Impact: An Argument for Increasing the Federal Minimum Wage Since the Industrial Era, workers in North Carolina and across the US have fought for better working conditions, less hours, no child labor, and most importantly a wage that could support life in the United States. Throughout the years, many of the state and federal governments have passed legislation to increase the minimum wage, decrease working hours, and to prevent child labor. While some states make advances […]

Minimum Wage in the United States

On July 24, 2009 the federal government set the minimum wage throughout the United States at $7.25. Millions of middle and lower class families struggle to make financial ends meet. Meaning the wage isn't even enough for a family of two or three children. While the wages are low, it is also a burden to find employment in an economy that is struggling to keep afloat. Minimum wage is a way companies save money and create more jobs while doing […]

About Negative Effects on Minimum Wage

The amount of money a person is paid should be based on their skills and knowledge, not on what the government decides is fair. Raising the minimum wage does not make that worker more valuable to an organization, it only makes him more expensive. Much of the workforce feel like they are being paid unfairly and want to see their wages increase dramatically. This would cause the opposite effect of what they think would happen and will be a lot […]

Is Minimum Wage an Issue in America?

Minimum wage and it's issue in America has sparked a profusion and has affected millions of individuals for years. The set minimum wage for those of whom are in the United States is $7.25 a hour for workers (Doyle, 2018). The problem with minimum wage in America is that it causes a lot of poverty, causes individuals to work more than just one job. Minimum Wage also affects our youth in society. Minimum wage has been a consistent problem since […]

The Minimum Wage Must be Raised

Ellie Barraclough Mrs. Miles ENGL 201 16 Nov 2018 The Minimum Wage Must Be Raised As of July 2009, the federal minimum wage has been $7.25, which is far too low to make a living. The minimum wage must be increased for the betterment of our country. In 2016, 701,000 workers above 16 were paid the minimum wage (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Raising the minimum wage will have an increase in employment, a decrease in poverty, allow people to afford […]

Increasing Federal Minimum Wage

The magnitude of the impacts of federal minimum payments has been a typical topic of discussion for years. Economic policymakers and academic researchers base minimum wage discussions in the context of poverty and increasing the wages. However, critics argue that there are many adverse effects on small businesses and the general economy of the country. A rise in the nation payments will have impacts on the economy of the American states in which the increase in minimum wage law is […]

The Minimum Wage and Professional Experience

I think if we were to raise the minimum wage in the United States it would end up hurting out economy as a whole. There are many facts that show an increase in the minimum wage would hurt our economy. For example the minimum wage in California has gradually been increasing since 2006. The minimum wage in California is projected to hit $15 in 2022 which is concerning to the people that live there. Since the increase in minimum wage, […]

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How To Write an Essay About Minimum Wage

Understanding the concept of minimum wage.

Before writing an essay about minimum wage, it's crucial to thoroughly understand what it entails. Minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their workers. It's a significant economic and political issue, with debates focusing on its impacts on poverty, employment, and economic growth. Begin your essay by defining minimum wage, including its history and the variations that exist in different countries or states. This foundation will set the stage for a more in-depth exploration of the topic in your essay.

Formulating a Thesis Statement

A strong essay on minimum wage requires a clear and focused thesis statement. Your thesis should present a specific viewpoint or argument about the minimum wage. For example, you might argue that raising the minimum wage is essential for reducing poverty, or conversely, that it could lead to higher unemployment rates. Your thesis will guide the direction of your essay, providing a clear path for your argument and ensuring that your essay remains focused and coherent.

Gathering and Analyzing Data

To support your thesis, gather relevant data and research from credible sources. This might include economic studies, government reports, and expert opinions. For instance, if you're arguing that increasing the minimum wage boosts the economy, you'll need to find economic data that supports this claim. Analyze this data critically, considering different perspectives and the quality of the evidence. Including a range of viewpoints will strengthen your argument and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the topic.

Discussing the Impact of Minimum Wage

Dedicate a section of your essay to discussing the various impacts of the minimum wage. This could include its effect on poverty, employment, small businesses, and the overall economy. Discuss both the potential benefits and drawbacks, and relate these back to your thesis statement. For instance, explore how a higher minimum wage might lead to increased consumer spending but could also result in higher operating costs for small businesses.

Concluding Thoughts

Conclude your essay by summarizing the main points of your argument and restating your thesis in light of the evidence and discussion provided. Your conclusion should bring together your analysis and offer a final perspective on the topic. This is also an opportunity to highlight any areas where further research is needed or to suggest potential policy implications based on your findings.

Final Review and Editing

After completing your essay, it's essential to review and edit your work. Ensure that your arguments are clearly articulated and supported by evidence. Check for grammatical accuracy and ensure that your essay flows logically from one point to the next. Consider seeking feedback from peers or instructors to refine your essay further. A well-crafted essay will effectively convey your insights on the minimum wage and demonstrate your ability to engage with complex economic and social issues.

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To Fight Poverty, Raise the Minimum Wage? Or Abolish It?

The minimum wage has stagnated at $7.25 an hour for more than a decade. is increasing it to $15 the best way to fight poverty.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Today on The Argument, what’s the downside to paying people more? [MUSIC PLAYING] Among the most popular and blunt tools to fight poverty is a minimum wage, but it doesn’t actually do that. Because if you have a full-time job that pays the federal minimum wage of $7.25, you’re only making about $15,000 a year, not enough to rent a one-bedroom apartment in 95% of counties in the United States. Raising the federal minimum to $15 an hour is something progressives have been fighting for for years. They came close this month, but an amendment to raise the minimum wage was ultimately removed from Biden’s COVID relief bill. Is raising the minimum wage or having one at all the right way to battle poverty? I’m Jane Coaston, and I think it’s past time to raise the minimum wage. It’s not a way station for 16-year-olds. For millions of Americans, including parents with small children, it’s how they make ends meet. More people across the political spectrum are beginning to support a higher minimum wage, but it does have opposition. So I’ve invited two guests who are on different sides of the debate. Saru Jayaraman is the president of One Fair Wage and director of the Food Labor Research Center at the University of California Berkeley. Jeff Miron is the head of undergraduate and graduate economic studies at Harvard and head of economics at the Cato Institute. [MUSIC PLAYING]

Hi, Saru. Thanks so much for joining.

Thank you so much for having me.

And hey, Jeff, thanks so much for being here.

My pleasure. Thank you.

Here’s what I want to get out of this conversation. I want to have this conversation in two pieces. First, I want to talk specifically about the $15 minimum wage, hear both of your positions, and then get into what the arguments for and against a wage hike are. And then I want to zoom out and talk about raising the minimum wage as part of an overall suite of policies aimed at lifting people out of poverty. We’re going to go over some other options and talk about what’s actually being considered and what’s actually possible. So Saru, what’s your position on the $15 minimum wage?

So I think it’s important to understand the full scope of what’s being proposed. The Raise the Wage Act not only would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour over several years, but it would also eliminate the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers, which is literally a legacy of slavery, the sub-minimum wage for workers with disabilities, which is a direct reflection of the valuation of people with disabilities, and youth. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 for all workers and $2.13 an hour for tipped workers, and it is cents — literally less than $1 — for workers with disabilities. Our position is, of course, that that is not just low, it actually creates severe poverty, economic instability. It has created just horrific suffering during the pandemic. With — in the case of the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers, it’s also been a source of horrific sexual harassment because you have a largely female workforce living off of tips as a portion of their base wage, and that $15 is actually the minimum that’s necessary to live, particularly given that this workforce of minimum wage workers are adults. Median age is in the 30s. They have children, and they are struggling to survive, often working multiple jobs on these poverty wages. So we strongly support phasing in the raise of the minimum wage over time.

Jeff, where do you stand on this issue?

So I’m opposed to raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. I’m, in fact, opposed to government mandating any minimum wage at all.

You wrote in 2014 that the right minimum wage is not $10.10 or $7.25. It’s zero. Why?

For a bunch of reasons. First of all, the minimum wage is trying, mainly, to tackle an issue of people having low income. But it does not address, the people with the lowest income, namely, people who don’t have jobs in the first place. It’s raising the wage of people who are already employed who may have low or very low income, but they’re not the poorest members of society. In my view, government anti-poverty efforts should be focused exactly on the people who are the worst off. Minimum wage is very poorly targeted for doing that because it starts off by only affecting people who are employed who have jobs. Secondly, it’s going to, in some instances, have a very perverse effect if you’re trying to raise the wages, even if we accept that it’s focused on a group of people that have jobs. It’s going to cause employers to lay off some people or hire fewer people or work more unpleasant hours or cut other benefits or do various things that are going to make those jobs bad for some of the people that you’re trying to help, OK? In the case where it causes employers to hire fewer people, some people go from having a low wage to having a zero wage. That seems a very crude way of trying to alleviate poverty, even if the minimum wage has only a modest effect in reducing employment. There’s a huge, long controversy in economics about that. The bulk of the evidence does suggest there is a negative effect on employment, especially if you were to double the minimum wage, as is being proposed currently. But it may have other negative effects, such as raising the prices of the goods and services that these employers provide. That also is a regressive step, not a progressive step.

I’m just going to cut you off there because I really want to put this to Saru. Last month, the Congressional Budget Office put out a report on the impact of a $15 minimum wage, and it showed that a gradual increase to a $15 minimum wage could add $54 billion to the deficit, if you’re worried about that kind of thing. I know deficit spending — we don’t talk about that anymore. It’s not a thing. I don’t even know who she is. But it could also eliminate 1.4 million jobs because, as Jeff said, that could be added prices for food. That could be added prices in a lot of spaces that low-income people and all-income people might need. What’s your response to that?

You know, the press reported on that Congressional Budget Office report in a way that, I think, caused most people not to actually read the report. The actual CBO report, what it said is that we don’t know what the impact on jobs could be. The impact on jobs could actually be anywhere from 0 to close to 3 million jobs. We have no idea. And that 1.4 million number was an intermediate between zero and close to three. In fact, we looked at the seven states that require what we call one fair wage, a full minimum wage with tips on top, including California, which has passed a $15 minimum wage and full elimination of the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers. Those seven states — and by the way, they’re not all blue states. If you look at those states that have raised the minimum wage, those seven states, in particular for the restaurant industry — we looked at from 2011 to 2016 — we saw that those states actually had higher job growth rates in the restaurant industry. They all actually have the same or higher growth rates in the restaurant industry, in terms of jobs, as the rest of the country. And so it just hasn’t borne out in the seven states that got rid of the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers. It just hasn’t borne out in the evidence. In fact, the states with the highest wages have had the highest job growth rates in the restaurant industry. So what do they do when they get a minimum wage increase? They spend it, the economy is boosted, and more jobs are created. I also want to speak to the menu price issue because we’ve also studied this a lot. Actually, we’ve compared restaurants — the same restaurants, chains — in California compared to all other states, and the menu prices are exactly the same. These are publicly-traded companies. They wouldn’t undercut themselves. They wouldn’t grow in a state like California if they weren’t profitable.

Jeff, what do you think? Because I think that issue of, if you pay people more money, they have more money, they spend more money, that makes sense to me.

My best answer is that money came from some place. But let me also take a step further back, which is if you tell employers they have to pay a higher wage for some of their employees, what are the things that could happen? They could say, OK, that’s fine. I’ll just make less profits, OK? Or they could say, I’m going to reduce that kind of employment and substitute with higher-skilled people. I could substitute machinery for some of the less-skilled labor that I was paying this lower minimum wage at. They could raise their prices. It’s unlikely that they’re just going to do nothing and absorb that profit loss. They’re going to respond in some way, shape, or form, and all of those things make those markets less efficient, OK? It means that you’re distorting the decisions about whether to use, in producing a particular good or service, low-skilled labor or to substitute with a machine. Somebody is paying for it. It’s either reduced profits — OK, but then the business owners are going to respond in ways which try to recoup that, many of which are going to make those workers worse off, or at least undo some of the benefit they got from the higher wages, such as by adjusting their hours in ways that workers don’t like, cutting benefits, and all those sorts of things. So we can’t just give people more money without saying where we’re taking it from and then what the cost of that is and what the effects of that are going to be.

I’m thinking about not necessarily minimum wage jobs, but we’ve all heard of or even had jobs where in exchange for getting paid more, there is an expectation that, like, yes, you make more money, but you’re supposed to work far more hours. The expectations change. If that’s true for jobs I’ve had, this sounds like it would also be true for minimum wage positions. Wouldn’t, as Jeff said, companies just find another way to exploit workers? If they’re paying them more, they could hire fewer people or force them to do different and worse labor.

Now, I would totally agree with Jeff that, yes, this does come from somewhere. This is why I fundamentally cannot agree with the idea that there can’t be a minimum wage. Because employers, corporations, businesses need to pay their fair share of the cost and the value of the labor that they’re profiting from. That is a concept that we, as a country, decided on when we ended slavery in the United States of America. We decided, as a country, morally, that we believe employers should pay for the value of the labor that they are profiting from. Now, in the restaurant industry in particular, at emancipation, the restaurant lobby did not want to pay for the value of their labor, and so they mutated tipping from being an extra or bonus on top of the wage to becoming a replacement for wages, which by the way, before emancipation, waiters were paid a full wage. So the whole idea of employers paying for their labor is something that we, as a nation, have accepted. Now, what happens when the minimum wage goes up in the restaurant industry in California or in the states that have raised wages? They don’t necessarily just reduce jobs. That hasn’t been borne out in the data. They do actually figure out, to your point, Jeff, greater efficiencies. They figure out that when you pay people more, actually, they don’t leave you. They stay. We did a study with Cornell where we interviewed 1,100 restaurant managers, and they told us that when you raise wages, you cut the cost of employee turnover because, guess what? When you pay people more, they don’t have to keep moving and looking for different jobs. They stay with you. That’s less turnover, which costs in terms of the cost of recruitment and hiring and morale and training new people. So it actually pays off to pay people well, and that is part of the overall cost of doing business.

OK, I have to object really strongly to the notion that imposing this minimum wage is going to make businesses more efficient by reducing turnover or encouraging them to substitute capital in an efficient way. If those things were efficient, if they were profitable, the employers would have done them already. If you can reduce turnover by paying a little bit higher wage, then of course, employers will do that. And many employers do do that, precisely for the reasons you explained, but not when they’re forced to do it by the higher minimum wage. Take the example of substituting machinery for a lower-skilled employee. There’s a cost to the machinery. There’s a cost of the employees, of the wages. You make the calculation of which one is more profitable, and you do the one that makes sense. If it made sense to substitute capital, you would have done it already. OK, so I don’t think that argument is the least bit convincing, and it just doesn’t make logical sense that there’s all this profit opportunity that these big public corporations, whose sole objective in life is basically to make profits, that they’re leaving all this money on the table by not paying a wage which would get them to a more profitable outcome.

But isn’t there an argument that part of making more money is the public appearance of being a good corporate citizen? We’ve had a lot of conversations recently about big corporations attempting to position themselves on specific political issues. I’m thinking of Apple getting involved with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act about five or six years ago. Isn’t an element where, yes, there is kind of the brute capitalism, we need to make as much money as possible, but also, it can be a good business maneuver to advertise yourself as having a good corporate culture by having higher wages?

But then again, you don’t need the government to make businesses do it. If it’s good for business to do something which looks socially responsible, whether it has to do with global warming or the wages you pay or the benefits you pay, then businesses will do it on their own because the way you describe it, it’s in the interests of the business. The net effect on profits after taking account of the somewhat higher costs for wages, but having better PR, having more people like your company, et cetera, they’ll take that into account, and they’ll do it on their own.

But I do want to put that question to Saru because I live in DC, where we have a $15 minimum wage. Florida, as you mentioned, has passed one that will go into effect by 2026. New York and Seattle both have a $15 minimum wage. So if you have private businesses that are saying, it’s a good idea for us to look good on this particular front by having a higher minimum wage, if you have cities and states that are making these decisions, why do we need the federal government to set a higher minimum wage for all?

So the truth is that we’re talking about giving people a very basic floor that would allow them to survive, allow them to get off of public assistance, allow them to feed their families when they work full time or more than full time. Look, here’s the problem with the argument Jeff is making of let’s just leave it entirely to the market, let’s have no minimum wage at all. If it were, efficient companies would do it. Well, guess what? There are lots of things companies do that are inefficient, that are based on their biases, their desires, their opinions. Racism and racial discrimination is not actually market efficient. So it is not entirely always efficiency that drives employer choices. And to the point of publicly-traded companies and if it were so great to pay people more, why wouldn’t they do it? I’ll tell you why. It’s because publicly-traded companies look at quarterly returns. And so there are a ton of efficiencies that arise from paying the minimum wage. The problem is that the publicly-traded corporations aren’t able to see it because they are so focused on short-term gains. So the problem with not having a federal minimum wage is that you leave the states with the highest populations of people of color at the lowest wages, and that exacerbates racial inequity in our country.

I want to focus on one thing that Saru said, which is that I’m arguing for leaving everything to the market. I haven’t said this yet, but I want to make clear that the argument against the minimum wage is not an argument against the social safety net. It’s an argument that the minimum wage is a terrible way of trying to have a social safety net. The libertarian view, my view, is that if you want to make poor people less poor, you should give them money via mechanisms like food stamps, housing assistance, universal basic income because those provide people with income without distorting private markets and without having the ancillary negative consequences that the minimum wage has. So they’re separate questions. One question is whether to help people who are not in a good financial position. The other question is how. My position is that the minimum wage is a terrible way in which to do it because it has all these ancillary side effects and because it doesn’t very successfully target the poorest people, whereas a universal basic income does explicitly target the very poorest people.

I do just have to address what Jeff said about leaving it to the market. You’re not saying leave it entirely to the market, but you are saying leave wages to the market, which means —

Yes, I am saying that.

— an employer could pay — meaning an employer could pay zero if they want to.

No, because people wouldn’t work for zero.

Well, people are working for zero right now, Jeff —

If employers have all this power, why don’t they set a zero wage?

Can I finish my point, please?

I apologize.

So actually, there are restaurant owners right now requiring workers to live off of tips. It’s illegal. Workers often don’t complain because they are scared to. They face retaliation. They are very vulnerable. They are women. They are people of color. And during the pandemic, these workers who receive zero dollars an hour could not get a dime of unemployment insurance because they were forced to live off of tips. And here’s the basic problem with having it rely entirely on government programs, social safety nets — some really big problems with that. One, workers want to be able to work and feed their families with their earnings. These workers, as well, want the dignity of being able to work in their profession — and these are professions — and not have to rely on government assistance, which is heavily stigmatized, difficult to access. And they want that dignity of being able to be paid. So you, Jeff, are asking taxpayers to cover these people’s livelihoods. But what I’m saying is that employers have to pay their fair share. They have to cover the value of their labor, of the people who are doing the work that brings them profit. [MUSIC PLAYING]

Hi, Jane. This is Reggie from Brooklyn. And the thing I’ve been arguing about with my friends and employer is whether we should use nuclear power to reach our climate goals. I think nuclear energy is the cleanest, most reliable way to bridge the gap between where we are now and our hopefully zero-carbon future in the time we have left.

What are you arguing about with your family, your friends, your frenemies? Tell me about the big debate you’re having in a voicemail by calling 347-915-4324, and we might play an excerpt of it on a future episode. So Jeff, you’ve said something that really interested me earlier, as a libertarian, is that you talked about the social safety net and the idea that we don’t need to raise the minimum wage. What we do need are better ways to support the poor that aren’t that, so talking about improving welfare programs. But you’ve mentioned two ideas in other work that you’ve done, the negative income tax and expansion of the earned-income tax credit. Now, I think for many people, they may have heard of the earned-income tax credit, but can you explain what the negative income tax would look like?

So a negative income tax, which is, in all important ways, the same as a universal basic income, says that everybody is guaranteed a certain amount of income per quarter or per year, some basis like that. And then they face some tax rate on all income earned. The simplest way to describe it, which doesn’t feel right to many people, is to say we send a check for $5,000 to every single person, including Bill Gates and, you know, Warren Buffett, but we then impose taxes. So if you have no income of your own, you receive that $5,000 per year, and that’s your total net income. If you earn $10,000 and there’s a 30% tax rate, you would get the $5,000 directly from the government plus the $10,000 you’ve earned, minus the $3,000 you would owe in taxes. You never owe any taxes on the universal basic income, on the negative income tax. So the idea is we put a floor on the amount of income that every single person has. And it gradually, as you earn income that didn’t come from the government, you pay taxes on that. But nobody will ever have any income below that floor that the government creates.

So what you’re saying here is that employers who make big profits, whether that’s a Walmart or McDonald’s or even a, like, company that’s doing really well in Washington DC, like a brewery, like the one that is being loud near my apartment, they do not have the responsibility to redistribute money. But the government — the federal government — through this program could redistribute money. They could send out checks for $5,000 to every American. Why do employers not have that responsibility but the government does? That seems — I’m confused.

It’s basically a practical answer that if the government does it in roughly the way I described, it’s consistent. It applies to everyone. It happens sort of year after year after year because it’s a government policy that’s in place and it continues, unless Congress changes its mind. But trying to get private employers to do it ends up mainly enriching private employers or some sectors relative to others. The housing industry gets richer than it would otherwise be because the government is subsidizing the building of housing projects. Certain farmers get richer than they would otherwise be because the government subsidizes food stamps. The transferring income to people approach doesn’t create any special favors for this industry versus that. It doesn’t allow you to go to Washington and lobby them to produce the — more of the goods and services that your industry produces because that’s allegedly helping poor people. It avoids all the inefficiencies created by having a centrally planned — central planner dictate what’s produced and how firms behave. If I could go back to one thing that Saru said, she said several times, we agreed, when we ended slavery, that we owe everyone a fair wage.

I don’t remember — or something like that.

We agreed that employers need to pay for the value of their labor, that they don’t get to —

When did we agree that?

That’s not in the Constitution. That’s not in a federal law.

Because we said —

Who agreed to that?

Because we said that employers should not be able to use free labor. That is what slavery was.

No, they should not be able to coerce free labor.

We agreed, as a country —

Outlawing slavery is not saying that someone can’t offer you a teeny wage and you agree to accept it. It’s saying that you can’t, using physical force, make people work for you for nothing.

And I would argue that because of the forced options that most people in this country on the minimum wage have, they are forced into very low-wage jobs, that their life situations have forced them into low-wage jobs that don’t give them the opportunities. When you’re working two and three jobs, you don’t actually have the time to go to college and get a degree and move up the ladder. So let me just say, one thing you said, Jeffrey, is just plain wrong. The idea that food stamps have not actually created inefficiencies and have not bred an industry or a sector that has profited off of food stamps is just plain wrong. The data shows that, actually, Walmart has profited quite a bit from food stamps. They —

That’s exactly my point.

OK, yeah, so —

I completely agree. That’s what I was saying. I totally agree with it.

Yeah, so Saru, like, the idea would be that you would have something that look kind of like Alaska’s Permanent Fund, which sends everyone in Alaska a check, or a dividend of some sort, which is that if you sent everyone in America a $5,000 check — everyone, every single person — and had that instead of food stamps, which as Jeff said, he argues have massive inefficiencies, you could wipe — use that instead of those programs. I’m interested to see your thoughts on that.

Yeah, my point is that we know, from situations like that, inefficiencies still will occur, even when people are given those checks. Because again, people at the lower end of the income spectrum have to spend those checks to survive on things like rent, which goes to developers, and food, which goes to grocery stores. There still will be inefficiencies. But here’s the bottom line. Employers — by doing that, by just providing everybody with $5,000, you completely remove any responsibility from employers to actually pay for, again, the people that are allowing them to create profit. The people who work for them generate the actual profit. And so employers should have the responsibility, rather than just taxpayers —

So I am saying that the employer should not bear this responsibility. I think it ends up being an incredibly inefficient way to try to accomplish the goal. I completely accept that some people have been forced by the conditions of the market and their luck and misfortunes of whatever their circumstances are to have very few opportunities, and I accept that there are people who have terrible circumstances. But I think the best way to do it is not by trying to make the employers responsible for it but letting their employers be responsible for maximizing efficiency and producing the most. First, that gives you the biggest economic pie available to redistribute to the people who deserve it, and they are not completely absolved because they pay taxes.

Not anymore.

No matter what the structure of the business taxes, they are ultimately paid by people, and the people are paying taxes that supports the transfers to those people who are deemed deserving by society’s judgments.

Saru, I noticed that you laughed a little bit when he talked about big corporations paying taxes. But I want to get at something. We appear to agree that there are, in our current system, a lot of inefficiencies that are bad. And we’re in a situation, and it is a situation, Jeff, as a libertarian, in which you are often in, which is that no one agrees with us and no one listens to us. No Republicans support raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, so what are some other alternatives that could get us closer to poverty mitigation that could work with what we currently have in Congress, where we’re dealing with Democrats who are saying, we are supportive of raising the minimum wage, but the Republicans who are in Congress are not the people who are interested in thinking about poverty mitigation the same way we’re — you know, they’re not talking about a UBI. They are talking about tax cuts. When you’re thinking about either making the case for raising the minimum wage to Republicans or thinking about other ideas for poverty mitigation, where do you go?

So one thing that, actually, we have been able to agree with on — with some libertarians and Republicans is that we do need to reduce people’s dependence on public assistance, actually. And it is shown that raising the minimum wage reduces people’s dependence on food stamps, on other forms of public assistance. So raising the minimum wage reduces the burden on the taxpayer, on the government by allowing employers to pay their fair share and then reducing people’s dependence on public assistance. That is one area that we have in common with some Republicans.

Let me say a few things. First, I don’t want to leave the impression that libertarians advocate adding a universal basic income on top of the current social safety net. Libertarians think that if we could replace the existing social safety net with the universal income, that is plausibly an improvement. But many libertarians would still have severe qualms about the existing generosity of the current social safety net. They would say there might be — maybe there’s a role for some. It probably shouldn’t be federal. It should be left to states. It should probably be less generous — just so I don’t mislead. But on your question of what other things can be done to help people who are poor, libertarians have a few things that they emphasize quite a bit, which is repeal of regressive regulation. Lots of regulations are especially bad for poor people. This includes land-use regulation, which makes it hard for people to afford housing because you restrict the density of buildings, the heights of buildings, building more in inner cities. That forces people with lower incomes to live farther away, to have longer commutes, to have less access to jobs, to stores, and so on. Similar issues with occupational licensing, has effects of two kinds. One, it keeps relatively poor people from entering certain professions because they have to spend money or spend time getting degrees in order to practice those occupations. At the same time, those licensing restrictions raise the cost of the goods in those occupations of the — being produced by those occupations. And that, of course, has a bigger negative effect on people who are poor. And there are lots of other examples. Childcare regulation is another good one. There’s tons of regulation of childcare. Whom does that harm especially? Poor mothers, OK, who can’t easily afford daycare and be able to hold jobs because of the regulation, which raises costs so much.

Saru, I’m going to guess that you probably don’t think that these ideas should replace the fight for the $15 minimum wage and my efforts to join us all on one side of the argument. Eh, a little quixotic. But what’s your what’s your last point on this particular issue? Because I think that I agree with Jeff, the occupational licensing issue is particularly interesting because of how, in my own personal experience, it hinders African-American business owners. For instance, you can get into a very weird place with the licenses you need to do African hair braiding. But what is it about the $15 minimum wage that makes it your central issue and the central issue for this conversation?

The current debate is how much should the minimum wage be and should it apply equally to everybody in this country. And so therefore, 32 million Americans would get a raise from a $15 minimum wage. And by eliminating sub-minimum wages, we reduce racial inequity, legacies of slavery, and severe gender discrimination and harassment.

I just want to thank both of you so much for joining me. Saru Jayaraman is the president of One Fair Wage, a group that advocates for raising wages and working conditions for restaurant service workers. She’s also director of the Food Labor Research Center at the University of California Berkeley. Thank you so much for joining me.

Jeff Miron is a senior lecturer at Harvard and director of economic studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank based in Washington DC. Thank you for joining me, Jeff.

My pleasure. Thank you for having me. [MUSIC PLAYING]

If you want to learn more about the minimum wage, I recommend reading the full report from the Congressional Budget Office published in February about what Biden’s bill to raise the minimum wage $15 an hour would actually mean for jobs and the economy. And for the policy wonks — I know who you are — I also recommend the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ February report on the characteristics of minimum wage workers. You can find links to both of these reports in our episode notes. Finally, some of you called in with your own stories about student loan debt after last week’s episode.

Hi, my name is Kendra. I’m an African-American woman who graduated from George Washington University in 1997. My experience has been chronic oppression due to student loan debt accompanied by low to no income over several years. There should be complete forgiveness for those who have suffered such a burden. I’m Janelle from Vermont, and I have over $50,000 of student loans. There’s nothing I can do but continue to pay and hope that when I die, the remaining debt doesn’t carry on to my children.

The Argument is a production of New York Times Opinion. It’s produced by Phoebe Lett, Elisa Guttierez, and Vishakha Darbha, edited by Alison Bruzek and Paula Szuchman with original music and sound design by Isaac Jones and fact-checking by Michele Harris. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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The federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour hasn’t changed since 2009. Workers in 21 states make the federal floor, which can be even lower for people who make tips. And at $7.25 an hour, a person working full time with a dependent is making below the federal poverty line.

[You can listen to this episode of “The Argument” on Apple , Spotify , Google or wherever you get your podcasts .]

States such as California, Florida, Illinois and Massachusetts have approved gradual minimum wage increases to reach $15 an hour — so is it time to do it at the federal level?

On Wednesday 20 senators from both parties are set to meet to discuss whether to use their influence on minimum wage legislation.

Economists have argued for years about the consequences of the hike, saying employers who bear the costs would be forced to lay off some of the very employees the minimum wage was intended to support. A report by the Congressional Budget Office on a proposal to see $15 by 2025 estimates the increase would move 900,000 people out of poverty — and at the same time cut 1.4 million jobs.

[ Instagram Live : Watch host Jane Coaston and Kara Swisher discuss whether we need to raise the minimum wage .]

On today’s episode, we debate the fight for $15 with two people who see things very differently. Saru Jayaraman is the president of One Fair Wage and the director of the Food Labor Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley. Jeffrey Miron is a senior lecturer in the department of economics at Harvard University and the director of economic studies at the Cato Institute.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Congressional Budget Office’s February 2021 report on the budgetary effects of the Raise the Wage Act of 2021.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ April 2020 report “Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers.”

(A full transcript of the episode will be available midday on the Times website.)

Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] or leave us a voice mail message at (347) 915-4324. We want to hear what you’re arguing about with your family, your friends and your frenemies. (We may use excerpts from your message in a future episode.)

By leaving us a message, you are agreeing to be governed by our reader submission terms and agreeing that we may use and allow others to use your name, voice and message.

“The Argument” is produced by Phoebe Lett, Elisa Gutierrez and Vishakha Darbha and edited by Alison Bruzek and Paula Szuchman; fact-checking by Michelle Harris; music and sound design by Isaac Jones.

Reasons Why Minimum Wage Should Be Raised Essay: Benefits for Workers, Society, and The Economy

The minimum wage controversy has been among the most discussed and argued issues for many years. Those in favor of raising the minimum wage argue that the increased income would enable low-wage workers to better their lives, reduce poverty and income disparity, as well as bring an economic boost. On the contrary, many opponents of raising the minimum wage contend that it will cause job losses and lead to higher prices.

This essay, written by a custom essay company , can help you understand the topic. By examining the evidence and arguments from both sides of the debate, we can gain a better understanding of the potential impact of raising the minimum wage and make informed decisions about public policy in this area.

My Thoughts on Should Minimum Wage Be Raised Essay

The minimum wage has long been a contentious issue in the United States, with opinions divided on whether it should be increased or left at its current level. Those in favor of increasing the minimum wage argue that it would help to alleviate poverty, reduce income inequality, and stimulate economic growth. However, opponents of a minimum wage hike suggest that it could lead to job losses, inflation, and reduced economic competitiveness.

Nevertheless, by considering the potential benefits and drawbacks of increasing the minimum wage, I would like to to provide a comprehensive analysis of this complex issue and help readers come to an informed opinion.

Reduction of Poverty and Inequality

One of the most compelling reasons for raising minimum wage is the reduction of poverty and inequality. According to the Economic Policy Institute, raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour could lift 1.3 million workers out of poverty and reduce income inequality. This is because low-wage workers, who are often from marginalized communities, rely on minimum wage jobs to support themselves and their families. By increasing the minimum wage, their income would increase, allowing them to meet their basic needs, such as food, housing, and healthcare.

Boost in Consumer Purchasing Power

Increasing the minimum wage would also lead to a boost in consumer purchasing power. When low-wage workers earn more, they are more likely to spend more, which would stimulate the economy. For instance, a report by the National Employment Law Project estimated that raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour would generate an additional $118 billion in economic activity over a five-year period.

Improved Health Outcomes

Low-wage workers often cannot afford basic healthcare services, which can lead to serious health consequences. By raising the minimum wage, workers would have access to better healthcare services, which would lead to improved health outcomes. This is because when low-wage workers have better health, they are more productive, which benefits both the employer and the employee.

Reduced Reliance on Social Services

Low-wage workers often rely on social services such as food stamps, housing subsidies, and Medicaid to make ends meet. By raising the minimum wage, workers would be able to earn enough to support themselves and their families without having to rely on social services. This would reduce the burden on taxpayers and enable the government to allocate resources to other areas of need.

Encourages Workforce Productivity and Loyalty

By paying workers a fair wage, they are more likely to be productive and loyal to their employer. This is because they feel valued and appreciated, which leads to higher job satisfaction and engagement. Additionally, when workers are paid a fair wage, they are less likely to leave their jobs, which can reduce the costs associated with hiring and training new employees.

While there are differing opinions on the impact of raising the minimum wage, there is evidence to support the many benefits that come with increasing it. Raising the minimum wage can help to reduce poverty and income inequality, boost consumer purchasing power, improve health outcomes, and reduce reliance on social services.

Furthermore, paying workers a fair wage can lead to increased productivity, loyalty, and job satisfaction. While there may be some initial costs associated with raising the minimum wage, the long-term benefits can outweigh them. As society moves forward, it is important to consider the potential impact of increasing the minimum wage and work towards a more equitable and just society where all workers are paid a fair wage for their labor.

Through thoughtful policy-making and continued advocacy, we can ensure that the benefits of raising the minimum wage are realized for workers, society, and the economy as a whole.

Tips on Writing Why Should Minimum Wage Be Raised Essay

The issue of minimum wage has become a hotly debated topic in recent years, with advocates calling for an increase in the minimum wage to address issues of poverty and inequality. If you are passionate about this topic and want to share your views, writing an essay on why minimum wage should be raised can be a great way to do so. However, to make your essay stand out, it’s important to approach it with a clear and well-structured argument. Here are some tips on how to write an excellent essay on why minimum wage should be raised, so you can effectively convey your ideas and contribute to the ongoing discussion around this important issue.

Research the Topic

Before you start writing a raising minimum wage essay, it is important to research the topic and gather as much information as possible. This will help you to understand the various arguments and counter-arguments related to the minimum wage. Use reputable sources, such as academic journals, government reports, and news articles, to gather information.

Develop a Strong Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is the backbone of your essays on raising minimum wage and sets the tone for the rest of your writing. Make sure your thesis statement is clear, concise, and reflects your stance on the topic. A strong thesis statement might read: “Raising the minimum wage is necessary to reduce poverty and inequality, boost the economy, and provide workers with a fair living wage.”

Support Your Argument with Evidence

To write an opinion article , you need to support your claims with evidence. Use statistics, data, and examples to illustrate your points and provide evidence for your claims. For example, you might use data to show that raising the minimum wage has led to increased consumer spending in other countries, or you might cite research that shows how low wages can lead to poor health outcomes.

Address Counter-Arguments

When writing about a contentious topic like the minimum wage, it is important to address counter-arguments. Acknowledge the other side’s point of view and provide evidence to counter their claims. This will help you to build a more persuasive argument and show that you have considered all sides of the issue.

Use Clear and Concise Language

Your essay should be easy to read and understand. Use clear and concise language to communicate your ideas effectively. Avoid using jargon or technical language that might confuse your reader. Make sure to proofread your work carefully to catch any spelling or grammar errors that could detract from your argument.

By following these tips, you can develop a compelling argument that supports your position and addresses counter-arguments.

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Home — Essay Samples — Economics — Minimum Wage — Impact of Minimum Wage Policies

Impact of Minimum Wage Policies

• Categories: Minimum Wage

About this sample

Words: 752 |

Published: Jan 30, 2024

Words: 752 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Economic growth, employment rates, income inequality.

• Economic Policy Institute. (2019). Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2024 would life pay for nearly 40 million workers. Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/publication/ib447-raising-federal-minimum-wage-to-15/
• Congressional Budget Office. (2019). The effects on employment and family income of increasing the federal minimum wage. Congressional Budget Office. https://www.cbo.gov/publication/55410
• National Employment Law Project. (2019). $15 by 2024 will lift wages for 41 million workers. National Employment Law Project. https://www.nelp.org/publication/15-by-2024-will-lift-wages-for-41-million/

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The Minimum Wage Should Be Increased to Help Low-Income Earners Get Out of Poverty

The Minimum Wage Essay Introduction

The concept of the minimum wage has sparked a major debate among economists and politicians in the United States of America. After recovering from the major recession that rocked the United States, the economy has still been on its knees for more than five years. It has made a serious impact on the main investors. However, the most significant influence has been on workers and families that have continuously survived on the minimum wage. This wage has been noted to be the same many decades after the end of the World War and has not gotten a review despite the standards of living going up. However, as many people that rely on the minimum wage continue to suffer the effects of the rising standards of living on a low wage, the corporate class has continued to gain large profits. The essay about minimum wage raising will analyze the pros and cons of wage increase both for politics and the economy of the USA.

The Minimum Wage Essay Body Paragraphs

It is very disturbing that the number of individuals that rely on the minimum wage is fast rising. The value of the minimum wage has lost its value more than tenfold since it was last reviewed. This has caused panic among most economists who describe this as a sign of an ailing economy. There have always been stereotypes among those who earn low wages, especially in an era that most individuals have had to acquire white-collar jobs.

The past studies have increasingly shown that the minimum wage earners are now composed majorly of teenagers. However, this has recently changed to the extent that half of the minimum wage earning population is composed of young adults that are about 25 years old.

Government intervention in such an issue is predictable. The expected response would be to raise the minimum wage. To a layman, this would make sense. However, to an economist and a keen observer, the idea of having the minimum wage raised is complex and raises a lot of questions concerning its viability on whether it does anything to improve the economy. The raising of the minimum wage is expected to up the living standards of the poor and those that rely on the minimum wage for living. However, it has recently been projected that raising the minimum wage by 10 dollars would do nothing on most payrolls and would translate to a very insignificant improvement in the economy.

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Beyond the political and economist platforms, the question of the minimum wage is almost not debatable. Opinion polls have shown that up to 70% of Americans have shown unanimous support for the increment on the minimum wage. It is despite scholars arguing that it negates the principle of hard work among the citizens.

Taxpayers in the United States have contributed dramatic amounts of money in aid of poor families in the country. It has raised numerous questions as to whether this move is necessary with some people arguing that there was a need to wipe the misled notion of trying to find fairness in society. The campaign on fairness has seriously undermined the significance of hard work. Despite some political movements advocating for this, most people have been opposed to this concept claiming that the work is not charity rather something that should be defined by hard work.

The wrong notion instilled among the masses on the question of increasing the minimum wage is said to be a political weapon. It is more likely to be used by the Democrats who have greatly advocated for the rise in the minimum wage. It has often moved the masses who have championed the notion of increasing the minimum wage. However, experts have noted that despite this being a possible cause of a swing vote, the phenomenon will be bad for the economy.

When analyzed from a different perspective, however, one could see the need for the increment of the minimum wage. Other factors held constant, the current minimum wage translates to a pay cut when compared to the wage after World War II. It, in part, justifies the call for the hike in the minimum wage, since economists have argued that this has created an increasing an economic difference between those who earn peanuts and tycoons that run the economy.

Analysts have stated that there is no natural law that defines the minimum wage. The way it is set depends purely on public policy and political decisions. Keeping with this notion, in past decades, the minimum wage earners worked to keep pace with the rising living standards. However, the recent calls for a hike in the minimum wage have been described as a scheme to discourage hard work. It is clear that if the minimum wage is increased for any reason, be it political and economics, the cost of hiring employees will increase. It would mean that the employers will have to lay off some workers while reducing the number of employees they hire per year. It would translate to a situation whereby a significant number of minimum wage earners would miss out on employment (Dickens, 2014). The consequences of this move are complex. But to the working citizen, it would be irrational not to consider a minimum wage hike.

The government’s consideration for tax subsidies for the low income earning population, despite being welcomed by the masses, has introduced an interesting yet complex concept. Studies of Walmart have shown that this has created profits for large organizations and profitable businesses that have explored this advantage.

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American taxpayers have continued to pay a lot of money to welfare organizations that seek to cushion low-income earners amounting to up to 60 billion dollars. This move raises the low-income earners out of the poverty line. However, it creates easy money for many corporate organizations that seek to exploit this money. It is because with the welfare funds the corporate businesses have now found cash flow among the minimum wage earners.

Experts who opposed the hike in the minimum wage have for a long time argued that the rise in the minimum wage will cost jobs for the individuals that tend to need them the most. The hiking of the minimum wage despite negating the value of hard work will make it difficult for large organizations to hire employees as noted earlier in this essay about minimum wage raising.

The Minimum Wage Essay Conclusion

Such arguments have been a source of major debates recently as people continue to fight against a collapsing economy faced with inflation. Perhaps, the economy of the minimum wage has been one of the most thorough yet not exhaustively researched concepts. Scholars have gone to the extent of studying two different countries that share borders. They have keenly observed the results after one of the nations boosts the minimum wage and the other does not. The conclusion has always been that the hike has minimal if any effect on employment. The concept of the hike for the minimum wage is complex.

A phenomenon has created politics of the day, with many politicians getting the ticket to the White House due to their support for the hike for the minimum wage. The masses have continually supported this move since it directly impacts them. However, only a few of them have considered the effect of this hike to the field of employment and to the job market. A minimum wage raise could be good for the welfare of the poor communities. However, the proponents of this concept perhaps need to take a keen look at economics and its basics to understand the effect on the economy and on the job market.

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Argumentative Essay on Minimum Wages | Writing Guide

In socio-economic discourse, few topics evoke as much debate and contention as the issue of minimum wages. Advocates argue for its necessity in ensuring fair compensation and reducing poverty, while critics raise concerns about its potential impact on employment and business viability. Writing an argumentative essay on minimum wages requires a nuanced understanding of both sides of the debate and the ability to construct a compelling argument supported by evidence. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to effectively tackle this topic and craft a persuasive argumentative essay.

Understanding the Topic

Before writing the essay, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with the key concepts and arguments surrounding minimum wages. Minimum wage laws mandate the lowest hourly wage that employers can pay their employees, typically set by government legislation. Proponents of minimum wages argue that they serve as a crucial tool in reducing income inequality, lifting workers out of poverty, and stimulating economic growth by increasing consumer spending. On the other hand, critics contend that minimum wage hikes could lead to job losses, automation, and increased costs for businesses, potentially harming low-skilled workers and small enterprises.

Research for Argumentative Essay on Minimum Wages

To construct a compelling argumentative essay, thorough research is essential. Start by gathering evidence and data from reputable sources, including academic journals, government reports, and expert analyses. Look for empirical studies that examine the impact of minimum wage policies on employment, poverty rates, business profitability, and overall economic outcomes. Pay attention to both sides of the debate, considering the perspectives of economists, policymakers, business owners, and workers’ rights advocates. By grounding your arguments in empirical evidence, you’ll strengthen the credibility and persuasiveness of your essay.

Creating Your Argument for Argumentative Essay on Minimum Wages

Once you’ve conducted thorough research, it’s time to craft your argumentative thesis statement. This statement should succinctly summarize your stance on the issue of minimum wages and preview the main points you’ll be making in your essay. For example, your thesis could assert that while minimum wage increases can positively impact workers’ livelihoods and reduce income inequality, policymakers must carefully consider potential trade-offs and implement complementary policies to mitigate adverse effects on businesses and employment.

Structuring Your Essay

A well-structured argumentative essay follows a clear and logical format, guiding readers through your argument step by step. Consider the following structure:

• Introduction: Start with a hook to grab the reader’s attention and provide context on the minimum wage debate. Introduce your thesis statement and outline the main points you’ll be addressing in the essay.
• Background and Context: Provide background information on minimum wage laws, including their history, purpose, and current debates. Briefly summarize key arguments from both sides of the issue.
• Supporting Arguments: Present your main arguments in support of your thesis statement. Each argument should be supported by evidence, statistics, and examples to bolster its credibility.
• Counterarguments: Acknowledge and address counterarguments to your position. Anticipate potential objections and present reasoned responses to strengthen your argument.
• Conclusion: Summarize your main points and restate your thesis in light of the evidence presented. Emphasize the importance of finding a balanced approach to minimum wage policies that considers both workers’ well-being and economic realities.

Writing an argumentative essay on minimum wages requires careful research, critical thinking, and persuasive writing skills. By understanding the complexities of the issue, gathering credible evidence, and structuring your essay effectively, you can construct a compelling argument that contributes to the ongoing discourse on labor policy and economic justice. Remember to approach the topic with an open mind, acknowledging differing perspectives while advocating for your own informed position.

Argumentative Essay on Minimum Wages Example

Introduction.

The debate over the minimum wage has become increasingly prominent, with advocates and critics fiercely arguing their positions. The concept of a minimum wage, which guarantees workers a baseline level of compensation for their labor, has been a contentious issue for decades. While some believe that setting a minimum wage is essential for ensuring workers are fairly compensated and able to meet their basic needs, others argue that it can have detrimental effects on businesses and employment rates. Despite the differing opinions, I firmly believe that establishing a correct minimum wage is crucial for fostering a more just and equitable society.

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Body Paragraph 1

One compelling reason to support a minimum wage is that it helps mitigate income inequality and poverty. In many economies, low-wage workers struggle to make ends meet, often living paycheck to paycheck and unable to afford basic necessities. By setting a minimum wage at a level that ensures a decent standard of living, governments can lift millions of people out of poverty and reduce the gap between the wealthy and the working class. Moreover, when workers are paid a fair wage, they are more likely to spend money in their communities, stimulating economic growth and benefiting businesses in the long run.

Body Paragraph 2

Additionally, a minimum wage serves as a crucial tool for safeguarding workers’ rights and dignity. Without a minimum wage, employers could exploit their workers by paying them unreasonably low wages, subjecting them to poor working conditions, and denying them basic benefits. This not only harms individual workers but also erodes the social fabric of society, leading to widespread discontent and unrest. By establishing a minimum wage, governments signal their commitment to upholding labor standards and ensuring that all workers are treated with respect and fairness.

Body Paragraph 3

Furthermore, proponents argue that a minimum wage can have positive effects on productivity and workforce stability. When workers are paid fairly for their labor, they are more motivated and engaged, leading to increased productivity and efficiency in the workplace. Additionally, a minimum wage can reduce employee turnover rates, as workers are less likely to leave their jobs in search of higher-paying opportunities. This benefits businesses by reducing hiring and training costs and fostering a more skilled and experienced workforce.

Body Paragraph 4: Counterargument and Refutation

Despite these compelling arguments, critics of the minimum wage often raise concerns about its potential negative impact on businesses and employment. They argue that mandating a minimum wage can lead to job losses, particularly among small businesses that may struggle to afford higher labor costs. However, research has shown that the actual impact of minimum wage increases on employment is minimal, with studies finding little to no evidence of widespread job losses. Additionally, businesses can adapt to higher labor costs by increasing prices, improving efficiency, or reallocating resources, mitigating the potential negative effects.

In conclusion, while the debate over the minimum wage will likely continue, it is clear that establishing a correct minimum wage is essential for promoting economic fairness, protecting workers’ rights, and fostering a more stable and productive workforce. By ensuring that all workers are paid a decent wage for their labor, we can create a more just and equitable society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. As we move forward, it is imperative that policymakers carefully consider the evidence and strive to find a balance that benefits both workers and businesses alike.

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109 Minimum Wage Essay Titles & Examples

🤫 secrets of a powerful minimum wage essay & thesis, 🏆 best minimum wage essay topics & examples, 📌 most interesting minimum wage topics to write about, 👍 good minimum wage research topics, ❓ research questions about minimum wage.

Your argument is the most crucial aspect of your minimum wage essay, whether you are taking a stance for or against raising it. Thus, you will have to cover the unemployment and poverty causes and effects, which create the borderline for people’s bare existence.

However, explaining the mechanism behind the issue is only one of the facets. You will need to pay attention to creating a remarkable minimum wage thesis statement, outline, and more. Here are all the things you need for successful essay writing:

• Structure. Ideally, you should write your outline before you begin writing instead of during the process. It should reflect your argument and allow for the creation of a smooth transition between subtopics. Being coherent and easy to read ensures your readers interest in any topics you may mention.
• Ideas. These may come from your previous research, thoughts, or brainstorming. The more thought you put into your argument, the more minimum wage essay ideas you may gather and present to your readers. Doing so helps you create an excellent essay that is ready to counter-argue any problem.
• Thesis statement. One concise and on-point sentence should embody your whole paper, giving your readers a glimpse of what to expect from your work and what conclusions you hope to draw. If you are not sure of the quality of your thesis statement, then you can read sample sentences online. Continuously ask yourself whether the examples that you have found help the essay writer condense their argument.
• Title. Grabbing your readers’ attention is possible when you have understood how to create well-written minimum wage essay titles. Without them, your essay may be overlooked and forgotten, so do not be afraid to experiment with differently worded titles so you can judge, which may have the best effect on a potential audience.
• Conclusion . Finalizing your work and drawing coherent resolutions from it is the goal of all minimum wage essay questions. Do not reference any of the research you called upon in this paragraph, but instead make obvious the links between your used sources and final verdict. Your conclusion should be most representative of your work and leave a good impression on your audience.

Apart from these structural elements, you should also pay attention to the research aspect of your paper, integrating different credible titles into your bibliography.

This action demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge of minimum wage essay topics, as well as highlights the congruency of your thoughts with the academic community.

You may use different sources, from books and journals, from contemporary poverty speech performances to deportation laws.

You should not confine yourself to your outlined timeline and can mention modern-day implication of minimum wage, especially if it adds to your argument and does not forget your central issue.

Sticking to your argument is an essential aspect of essay writing. Asses each sentence you write and remove it if it does not suit your thesis statement. Your readers will notice all loose-ended and pointless arguments, which are irrelevant to your central theme.

Removing them will only increase the quality of your essay, allowing you to get better marks by being both coherent and comprehensive.

If doing so has dropped your work below your aspired word count, then you should review your outline and look for ways to develop your argument differently.

Do you want to write an essay that is better than merely “excellent”? Check IvyPanda’s essay samples to find out how!

• Minimum Wage: Pros and Cons, Effects of Increase Labor union laws and minimum wage laws have contributed a lot to the current trend of structural unemployment in the United States of America.
• Effects of Minimum Wage Increase The proposed increase will indeed benefit workers by raising their overall living standards by granting minimum wage employees a more appropriate pay level to contend with cost-of-living increases and the supply side of the labor […]
• Raising the Minimum Wage: Positive and Negative Aspects Increasing the minimum wage will increase the social efficiency of society, which is determined by the degree of satisfaction of its needs.
• The Raising the Minimum Wage Article by Scott Raising the minimum wage: Good for workers, businesses, and the economy. The issue of the federal minimum wage has been long debated as it affects the economic status of the U.S.
• Effects of an Increasing Minimum Wage A minimum wage increase is beneficial to the company in the long term but expensive in the short term. The rising minimum wage would lead to reduced research and development in purchasing machinery and software, […]
• Definition of the Minimum Wage and Its Aspects An increase in minimum wages will lead to substitution in the market. An increase in wages will be directly proportional to the prices of commodities in the market.
• Researching of Minimum Wage and Living Wage Like any other commodity, labor is determined by supply and demand in the market, and any artificial intervention disrupts the market balance, leading to shortages and gray employment.
• Raising the Minimum Wage and Its Disadvantages The average leftists will try to achieve an increase in the level of salaries with the help of the minimum wage.
• Minimum Wage: Overview and Analysis The pandemic has led to a huge deterioration of the economy, and raising the minimum wage is not something that businesses can handle.
• Minimum Wage Legislation in Texas The key objectives for a lobbyist for the organization would be to emphasize the numerous benefits to the working class while presenting arguments that changes will not be disruptive to the economy or businesses.
• Increasing Minimum Wage in Los Angeles As already mentioned, it may be critical to evaluate the basic needs of the population precisely and provide sufficient minimum wage. Hence it may be needed to increase the minimum wage in the state of […]
• National Minimum Wage Analysis The minimum wage is the legally established wage for the rate fulfilled by the employee. The higher the minimum wage, the higher the taxes.
• Minimum Wage and Government Interventions Coming to the issue of minimum wage, it is the “floor price” of labor that is determined by the federal government to guarantee fair wages to the workers.
• Minimum Wage According to Marxism Analyzing the issue from the Marxist viewpoint, it can be concluded that increases in the minimum wage are beneficial to the working class but not to capitalists.
• Minneapolis Government Trends in Minimum Wage Increases According to the report of Associated Press, the City Council of Minneapolis has passed the ordinance to increase the minimum wages in the city to 15 dollars per hour.
• Minimum Wage Policy in Canada In response, according to Tipton et al, the minimum wage policy was put in place to counter the rising poverty level by ensuring that employees in Canada experienced the basic standards of compensation and employment […]
• Should the US Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour? While increasing the minimum wage is costly for businesses, not increasing the minimum wage is costly for the United States government.
• The Minimum Wage in China: Lee Wang Case The point in this case is that the main purpose of labour inspection is to correct the violation of labour ethics by employers, such as a company underpaying its employees, and to defend the employees’ […]
• Social Policy: Living on a Minimum Wage One of the primary findings is that the minimum wage is not a living wage. Another matter of concern is the fact that minimum living affects children and their prospects in life.
• Minimum Acceptable Remuneration Regulation A comparison of the minimum wages in Australia and the US shows that adopting policies on minimum wages to reflect levels of training and incorporate economic indicators has positive effects on employment.
• Fixing an Initial Minimum Wage The paper will also determine the reasons why the minimum wage is important to a nation and the reasons why minimum wage rate should not be constituted in a country.
• Long Term Investment Decisions Another policy, which the government may have in the regulation of a market economy is the regulation of the amount of tax levied on products and services.
• Minimum Wage in Saudi Arabia and Other Countries In this respect, the fair wage expands the concepts of the living wage and minimum wage to include the conditions of work.
• Raising Minimum Wage in the US The current economic recession that continues to impact the U.S.economy The main problem with the proposal of President Obama lies in what the article states as the possibility of companies leaving the U.S.due to the […]
• The effects of the introduction of the National Minimum Wage on employment This paper evaluates the theoretical assumptions regarding the effects of the introduction of the National Minimum Wage within the British home care sector.
• Minimum Wages in Different American States These criticizers continue to epic that the minimum wage tends to reduce the demand expected of workers where they argue that this is greatly caused by the reduction in the number of the jobs and […]
• Minimum Wage Effectiveness However, the minimum wage can be a good stimulus for young people to continue their study instead of joining the “labor market”, and this is very good for the development of society since it leads […]
• Minimum Wage Issue: Political Regulation Governments usually impose minimum wage to reduce poverty; indeed, increase in the minimum wage is also said to increase motivation of the workers and hence lead to more productivity. Increase in the minimum wage does […]
• The Minimum Wage in the US: Situation Overview Other people argue that increasing the minimum wage would lead to increase in commodity prices by the employers to cover for the increased costs thereby beating the reason for the increase.
• Issues that affect low wage earners Low earner hardly afford good housing; they live in houses that do not meet the standards of an adequate housing systems, the reason why they opt for such houses is because they have limited funds […]
• The Pros of Raising the Canadian Minimum Wage In turn, the increase in the prices of goods and services will result to the decrease in the company’s profits. The rise in the minimum wage will cause the retrenched employees to join the ranks […]
• The Positive Effects of Minimum Wage on the Economy
• The Political Economy of the National Minimum Wage Institution
• Why the Minimum Wage Matters in the U.S. Industry Economy
• Why The Age Requirement Can Start Working For Minimum Wage Jobs
• When Is A Good Time To Raise The Minimum Wage
• Union Power, Minimum Wage Legislation, Endogenous Labor Supplies and Production
• Work-Related Training and the New National Minimum Wage in Britain
• Welfare Effects of Minimum Wage and Other Government Policies
• What Is Minimum Wage Is Not Ideal And Struggles
• Why the Minimum Wage Orthodoxy Reigns Supreme
• Wage Distribution And Earnings Inequality Impacts Of The Minimum Wage
• The Positive And Negative Effects Of Raising Minimum Wage
• The Social Issue of the Minimum Wage and the Need to Raise the Current Minimum Wage in America
• Using the EITC to Help Poor Families: New Evidence and a Comparison with the Minimum Wage
• United Kingdom: Developing a Progressive Minimum Wage in a Liberal Market Economy
• Unemployment Benefit, Minimum Wage And Average Salary Earnings In Romania
• Why The Minimum Wage Shouldn’t Be Raised
• The Short-Run Effects of the Minimum Wage on Employment and Labor Market Participation: Evidence from an Individual-Level Panel
• The National Minimum Wage and Hours of Work: Implications for Low Paid Women
• The Negative Impact of Raising the Minimum Wage
• The Positive Impacts of Raising the Minimum Wage on the Economy, the Health of the Citizens, and Their Quality of Life
• The Optimum Minimum Wage When Labor Services are Taxed
• Wage Inequality And Raise The Minimum Wage
• Thinking about Minimum Wage Increases in Alberta: Theoretically, Empirically, and Regionally
• Welfare Benefits, Minimum Wage Rate and the Duration of Welfare Spells: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Canada
• The Productivity‐Enhancing Impacts of the Minimum Wage: Lessons from Denmark and New Zealand
• Why Has the British National Minimum Wage Had Little or No Impact on Employment
• Why Minimum Wage Jobs Pay Their Employees Unfairly
• Wage Rigidity, Collective Bargaining and the Minimum Wage: Evidence from French Agreement Data
• The Rate Of Substitution Between Low Pay Workers and The National Minimum Wage
• The Pros and Cons of Raising the Minimum Wage of Workers
• The Struggle to Fight the Minimum Wage in America in Nickel and Dimed, a Book by Barbara Ehrenreich
• Wage Dispersion and the Minimum Wage Spike in a Search Economy With Wage-Posting
• The Role of Risk Preference in Immigration and Minimum Wage Policies
• Which Age Should Be The Minimum Wage For Drinking
• The Truth Behind the Minimum Wage in America in Nickel and Dimed, a Novel by Barbara Ehrenreich
• Using Local Labor Market Data to Re-Examine the Employment Effects of the Minimum Wage
• The Wage and Employment Dynamics of Minimum Wage Workers
• What Should Be Done About The Minimum Wage
• Understanding Wage Theft: Evasion and Avoidance Responses to Minimum Wage Increases
• The Negative Effects of Raising the Minimum Wage
• The Potential Impact of the Minimum Wage in Rural Areas
• Working Conditions At Minimum Wage Jobs
• The Unexpected Long-Run Impact of the Minimum Wage: An Educational Cascade
• Did the German Minimum Wage Reform Influence Employment Growth in 2015?
• Are Wage and Employment Effects Robust to Alternative Minimum Wage Variables?
• Does the Minimum Wage Bite Into Fast-Food Prices?
• Does the Minimum Wage Cause Inefficient Rationing?
• Are There Long-Run Effects of the Minimum Wage?
• Does Raising the Minimum Wage Help the Poor?
• How Much Would Increasing the Minimum Wage Affect Food Prices?
• Does the German Minimum Wage Help Low Income Households?
• How Raising Minimum Wage Will Hurt the Economy?
• What Are Three Effects of Raising the Federal Minimum Wage?
• Did the National Minimum Wage Affect UK Prices?
• Why Does the Minimum Wage Exist?
• Does the Minimum Wage Affect Employment?
• Should the Minimum Wage Be Abolished?
• How Does the Minimum Wage Affect Employment via On-The-Job Search Intensity?
• Does Increasing Minimum Wage Decrease Poverty?
• How Has Minimum Wage Influenced the United States?
• Can the Minimum Wage Force the Hand of Small Businesses?
• How Does the Minimum Wage Affect Firm Investments in Fixed and Human Capital?
• Can the Minimum Wage Reduce Poverty?
• Does Minimum Wage Affect Workplace Safety?
• Has the National Minimum Wage Reduced UK Wage Inequality?
• Did the Minimum Wage Affect the Incidence of Second Job Holding in Britain?
• Did Minimum Wage Increases Reduce Employment?
• How Is the Minimum Wage Debate Viewed Through a Marxist?
• How Does the Minimum Wage Affect the Employment Statuses of Youths?
• Does the Minimum Wage Affect Welfare Caseloads?
• Should Raising Minimum Wage Have Stronger Job Growth?
• How Many Americans Are Working for Minimum Wage and Living in Poverty?
• Does Increasing the Minimum Wage Reduce Poverty in Developing Countries?
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Writing About Minimum Wage

Academic writing

Essay paper writing

The minimum wage policy is a controversial issue that many social groups and political figures have polarizing opinions about. That’s why writing a minimum wage essay or research paper is an assignment that is put forward by the professors quite often.

This article will help you sort out the facts and opinions to talk about in your minimum wage research paper or essay as well as structure and connect them properly. You will also learn how to write a perfect introduction, thesis statement, body, and conclusion on your own. So sit back and enjoy the most comprehensive article on how to write a minimum wage paper!

Minimum wage essay ideas

• Disadvantages of increasing minimum wage essay
• Minimum wage laws essay
• History of minimum wage essay
• Raising the minimum wage essay
• Minimum wage economics essay
• Minimum wage criticism economics essay
• Alternatives to minimum wage increase essay
• Minimum wage debate essay
• How can businesses benefit from increasing minimum wage essay
• Change in unemployment rates due to minimum wage increase essay
• Essay on minimum wage increase influence on employee turnover
• Pros and cons of raising minimum wage essay
• Minimum wage vs living wage essay
• Minimum wage comparison essay (choose 2 or more countries to compare)
• Essay on increasing minimum wage in America
• Minimum wage justification essay
• Minimum wage controversy essay
• A short essay on why minimum wage was created
• Essay on minimum wage in USA
• Essay against raising minimum wage
• Ethical issues regarding minimum wage essay
• Essay on economic and political reasons for increased minimum wage
• Negative effects of raising minimum wage essay
• Who benefits from the increase in the minimum wage and who is hurt essay
• Economics essay about minimum wage
• Can a person survive living on minimum wage essay

Topics for an argumentative essay on minimum wage

• Argumentative essay on raising minimum wage will benefit the economy
• Automation will influence the minimum wage argumentative essay
• Argumentative essay on raising minimum wage might cause unemployment
• Argumentative essay about minimum wage causing prices to increase
• Should minimum wage be raised essay
• Why minimum wage should not be raised essay
• Do the benefits of raising the minimum wage outweigh the drawbacks essay
• Should the federal minimum wage be increased essay
• Reasons to raise minimum wage essay (on the example of a specific country)
• Should government raise the minimum wage essay (choose a specific country)

Topics for a persuasive essay on minimum wage

• Raise minimum wage essay
• Minimum wage should not be raised essay
• Persuasive essay about raising minimum wage
• Wage may result in more unemployment essay
• Why minimum wage should be abolished essay
• Why we should raise the minimum wage essay
• Should the government raise the minimum wage essay

Tips for writing a minimum wage essay

Here are a few things you need to remember when writing essays on minimum wage:

• Choose an original topic. Look up essay prompts on raising minimum wage and other related topics and narrow your choice to something that is interesting and easy to research. As long as you enjoy writing on a topic and it is not a cliché, you will cope with the task pretty fast. 
• Back up your claims. For example, if you believe that the base pay should be raised, and it somehow seems logical to you that it should, simply stating it is not enough. If there is no evidence, your assumptions will not be taken seriously.
• Get inspired by good examples. If you want to make sure that every single argument falls into place, you can look for the sample line of reasoning for a minimum wage increase essay online. Just look up an example of minimum wage essay and check how the person who has written it presented their arguments and backed them up with factual data. This might give you an idea on how to outline your paper and show the information that you have found during your research.
• Refer to credible sources. If you are looking for factual information, it is important to check scholarly and governmental sources. For example, you could search for the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hours Division materials. They provide expert data on federal and state minimum wage rates, both current and historical. Whatever source you use, be sure to check its trustworthiness before considering taking information from it.
• Revise your essay. Proofreading is an essential step of writing, which is why we strongly recommend you not to leave this task for the last night before the submission. The best time for proofreading is the next day after you finish the paper, when you are able to detect all the mistakes with a fresh eye.  

Minimum wage essay outline

Sticking to the outline is an important aspect, which will help you to write an A+ essay:

• How to start an essay about minimum wage? As we all know, the hardest step is always the first one. In order to set the pace, you need an engaging hook phrase in the very beginning of your paper. A hook for a minimum wage essay may be some shocking fact that immediately engages your reader or relevant statistics. You may use the factual info in the end of the article as hooks for minimum wage paper.
• The part with the background information on the topic will be the biggest one in your intro. Here, you may try explaining why the research you are doing is important and give readers some basic facts that are crucial for understand the topic.  
• The final part of the introduction to a minimum wage essay is a thesis statement. A good thesis statement on minimum wage topics presents all arguments that you will consider in your paper in a clear and concise manner.
• Body of the essay on minimum wage.

In your body paragraphs, you will need to present strong evidence and examples to reinforce the arguments you have put forward in the thesis statement. It is best not to cover more than 1 point in a single paragraph. And, of course, you should make sure there are enough transitional words, phrases, and sentences to make your text cohesive.

• Conclusion for a minimum wage essay. Before writing the ending for an essay on minimum wage, reread the last sentence of the intro. You will have to restate your minimum wage thesis (rephrase – not copy it) and show what information you have used to support it. Do not forget about the clincher for minimum wage essay, which is the last sentence of the text that shows the reader that you have fulfilled the purpose of writing the text and have proved the point you were making initially. To make your minimum wage essay conclusion memorable, you might also leave your readers with something to reflect on later by asking a question or making an interesting statement.

How to write a good title for minimum wage essay

Making a catchy title for your essay is also an important step of the writing process. What is the secret of creating a memorable title for essay on minimum wage? Leave it until the very end of working on your paper.

Now that you have written all the body paragraphs, you know every point that you have eventually decided to include. Therefore, you can come up with a minimum wage essay title that shows the reader exactly what your paper is going to cover. Don’t be afraid to get creative – the only thing to remember at this point is to keep the title clear and concise.

Minimum wage research topics

• Raising minimum wage research paper
• The impacts of minimum wage on job market
• The positive impact of increasing the minimum wage
• Minimum wages in different countries
• Is it really possible to live on minimum wage in a “specific country?”
• Does minimum wage increase poverty rate?
• The effects of minimum wage on the economy
• The negative effects of increasing minimum wage
• Gender factor and minimum wage
• Can lowering the minimum wage create new jobs?

Writing minimum wage research papers

• Search for some good minimum wage topics. Mind that the topic you choose should be both interesting for you to research and relevant for the audience that is going to read it. You can look for some ideas on the Web, ask your professor for advice (maybe he or she has some topics to assign), or refer to our topic list above!
• Be very careful with the instructions. Pay special attention to format requirements and due dates as these aspects influence your overall mark significantly. Clarify with your professor what style of formatting you should stick to while writing your research paper. And, of course, never leave this task until the last night before the submission in order not to be late.
• Take care of transitions. Students often make a mistake of not making links between ideas to create a coherent. Therefore, make sure that there are logical transitions between the parts of your research paper and every single sentence in it.
• Check whether your research paper is logical and clear.
• Edit for grammar, syntax, spelling mistakes, etc.
• Ask a friend or family member to read your paper.
• Reread it on your own and check whether it meets rubric requirements.

Minimum wage research paper outline

• Cover/Title Page (depends on formatting style)
• Abstract (may be required by your professor)
• Introduction (includes a hook sentence and a minimum wage research paper thesis)
• Methodology
• Literature review
• Results/Findings
• Appendices (optional)

Facts about minimum wage for your essay or research paper

• The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was initially established in 1938, where a minimum wage for the covered US workers was determined to be $0.25 per hour. Since then, the Act was changed in order to raise this amount to $7.25 for an hour of labor.
• Geneva authorities have set the world’s highest minimum wage - $25 per hour. The initiative was supported by local trade unions, claiming that it will help “to fight poverty, help social cohesion, and promote dignity of each worker.”
• Australia has the highest minimal (nominal) salary in the world – $14.15/hour.  
• About 20.6 million people in the US are “near-minimum-wage” workers. Most of them work in restaurants or food service.
• In the US, workers under 20 years of age receive no less than $4.25 per hour for the first 3 months of their job. After that period, the rate raises up to $7.25.

Minimum wage (per hour) rate across the world

In order to understand the issues with minimal pay rate across the globe better, we recommend reviewing world statistics on minimum wage. You can compare these figures or reflect on whether it is possible to live with such wage comfortably in your paper.

• The United Kingdom: $10.34
• Spain: $5.83
• Belgium: $10.38
• Bangladesh: $0.23
• Hong Kong: $5.81
• Morocco: $3.74
• Germany: $10.87
• Portugal: $5.76
• Turkey: $9.43
• Kenya: $0.61
• France: $11.66
• Russia: $2.27
• South Korea: $6.84
• Japan: $8.1
• The USA: $7.52
• China: $1.68
• Canada: $9.52
• Iran: $2.22

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