The Wages of a Minimum Wage Law

Recall Seattle’s 2015-2016 minimum wage law that mandated a rise in minimum wage from $9.47/hr to $12 for small businesses and $13 for large businesses.  The University of Washington early on published a study that demonstrated a drop in hours worked by low-wage workers of some 9% with a resulting decrease in actual income for those low-wage earners—ones least able to afford the cut—of some $74/mo.

New, updated numbers are in, reflecting in particular tracks folks with jobs at the time the mandated minimum wage went up.

Experienced workers earned $84 a month more, on average, although about a quarter of the gain came from taking additional work outside Seattle to make up for lost hours. Inexperienced workers got no real earnings boost. They simply spent less time on the clock.

Higher income for those who already had work experience, but at the expense of taking additional work—with that lengthy commute to get an available additional job outside Seattle’s jurisdiction.  I guess gasoline is free in Seattle, and those workers’ time has no value at all.

And those without work experience, trying to accrue some so they can get better jobs?  They’re not even allowed to hold their place in the experience line; this wonderful new minimum wage law is pushing them farther back.  This is emphasized by another sad datum:

The authors point to a marked decline, about 5%, in the number of people entering Seattle’s low-wage workforce each quarter.

The young, new, or simply unskilled are having a harder time just getting a first job.

This is how Progressive-Democrats reward their voters.

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