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So as the title suggests. Why is the minimum wage in USA so low? And another thing half the populations works for like $10/Hr or less. I think it's one of the problem in USA which has hurt the economy to some extent ever since the year 1990 when nominal prices (forget real prices as they'll paint a worst picture) started to outpace wages which have stagnated.
How are people meant to pay so much student debt , car debt, insurance, etc etc on such low starting wages!!!?
The reality is that the average wages aren't bad, it's just that the minimum wages are bad. And how so much people work for the minimum or very close to it.
Here in Australia the minimum wages are generous. You put more money in people's pocket, they spend that money and everyone is happy. I was working at a fast food and was making $20-$22/Hr
No one here will work for less than $20/Hr
I think the high wages has helped the Australian economy lots.
Comidities such as hamburgers include the cost of the workers in their price.
So that when you raise minimum wage, you increase the cost of goods and services.
This hits the low wage workers the most, just like with other forms of inflation, low wage earners wages never keep up. (Also they hit higher tax brackets over time, further disadvantaging them)
Minimum wage (A bad idea) was intended as a STARTING wage, NOT a lifelong wage.
If you want to better yourself you can.
Skills are the Key.
By taking a $200 class to learn flood adjusting, and working (Loosely called that) for free off and on helping with appraising over the last few years, (Very similar skill) I made $1,000 in a single hour yesterday (High even for this, but I've been making over $1K/Day since I got here)
-That's before expenses and taxes since I work 10-99
You CAN better yourself if you want.
Most people don't want to work that hard... I was up at 6AM, and I'm still working... just taking a short break and some Caffeine at 2 AM...
I'll be up at 6:30 to do it all over again...
First 6 months of this year I made $7,500- $8500/month, but I worked 70-90 hours a week to do it.
I also took 3 months off, and plan to take more off this coming year.
If you want it, you can get it, and not through 'government help' that really disadvantages you in the long run!
It's crazy expensive to live in Oz as a result of high min wage and unskilled workers making that age.
Why is it low? In theory, one who makes minimum wage should not be having to raise a family or be having to live on their own on that income.
I have not made as low as minimum wage since...1998? I was a college freshman with none of the issues you speak of. I made my car insurance, had a cheap car (oh, very cheap) paod some rent, et al.
Now? I have one college loan and I make several times minimum wage. I can also afford to work about half the year, if I so choose to.
Anyway, doing a little Internet looking around tells me that Oz's economy isn't all that it is cracked up to be without the mining sector carrying the water. We had this thing called the "Dot com era" where people who had no business sitting at a desk and making the money they were while their employers cooked books to make investors feel better while they were bleeding money every quarter got a dose of reality. Oz might be headed that way, too, with burger flippers making such obscene money.
It's crazy expensive to live in Oz as a result of high min wage and unskilled workers making that age.
Why is it low? In theory, one who makes minimum wage should not be having to raise a family or be having to live on their own on that income.
I have not made as low as minimum wage since...1998? I was a college freshman with none of the issues you speak of. I made my car insurance, had a cheap car (oh, very cheap) paod some rent, et al.
Now? I have one college loan and I make several times minimum wage. I can also afford to work about half the year, if I so choose to.
Anyway, doing a little Internet looking around tells me that Oz's economy isn't all that it is cracked up to be without the mining sector carrying the water. We had this thing called the "Dot com era" where people who had no business sitting at a desk and making the money they were while their employers cooked books to make investors feel better while they were bleeding money every quarter got a dose of reality. Oz might be headed that way, too, with burger flippers making such obscene money.
Yeah i do agree with you..
I've always said that Oz is only chasing the quick BUCK. Right now the government is seriously finding ways to keep property prices high. They're naturally at a stage where they'd fall in any country/economy. But here it seems that the government is doing everything it can to make sure prices continue to rise.
And i seriously struggle to fathom on how i was making $22/Hr just flipping burgers hhaahaa
--The lowest payed earner i know is an Indian guy working at 7/11 at night making $18/Hr
Comidities such as hamburgers include the cost of the workers in their price.
So that when you raise minimum wage, you increase the cost of goods and services.
This hits the low wage workers the most, just like with other forms of inflation, low wage earners wages never keep up. (Also they hit higher tax brackets over time, further disadvantaging them)
Minimum wage (A bad idea) was intended as a STARTING wage, NOT a lifelong wage.
If you want to better yourself you can.
Skills are the Key.
By taking a $200 class to learn flood adjusting, and working (Loosely called that) for free off and on helping with appraising over the last few years, (Very similar skill) I made $1,000 in a single hour yesterday (High even for this, but I've been making over $1K/Day since I got here)
-That's before expenses and taxes since I work 10-99
You CAN better yourself if you want.
Most people don't want to work that hard... I was up at 6AM, and I'm still working... just taking a short break and some Caffeine at 2 AM...
I'll be up at 6:30 to do it all over again...
First 6 months of this year I made $7,500- $8500/month, but I worked 70-90 hours a week to do it.
I also took 3 months off, and plan to take more off this coming year.
If you want it, you can get it, and not through 'government help' that really disadvantages you in the long run!
Yes exactly minimum wage was designed as a starting wage.
But right now in the U.S. most people, especially young adults and graduates are on the minimum wage or are at the new trend of $10/Hr
In Australia graduates don't have much debt, since studying is pretty cheap and the government also provides lots of support. And $30/Hr jobs are the minimum for graduates fresh out of UNI/College
USA defiantly needs to somehow increase its bottom end.
Think about it, the low-class to middle class are responsible for moving the economy. If they're having a hard time then the economy will do bad. There simply is no way out of that.
The fact right now is that their pockets are drained and they're indebted. So go figure.
So as the title suggests. Why is the minimum wage in USA so low? And another thing half the populations works for like $10/Hr or less. I think it's one of the problem in USA which has hurt the economy to some extent ever since the year 1990 when nominal prices (forget real prices as they'll paint a worst picture) started to outpace wages which have stagnated.
How are people meant to pay so much student debt , car debt, insurance, etc etc on such low starting wages!!!?
The reality is that the average wages aren't bad, it's just that the minimum wages are bad. And how so much people work for the minimum or very close to it.
Here in Australia the minimum wages are generous. You put more money in people's pocket, they spend that money and everyone is happy. I was working at a fast food and was making $20-$22/Hr
No one here will work for less than $20/Hr
I think the high wages has helped the Australian economy lots.
Unleaded gas is $1.38/L here in Sydney.
It would cost 67.00 in U.S.A. to fill my 20 gallon tank and 105.00 at 1.38/L.
The problem with debating the US minimum wage is the almost universal avoidance of key issues:
1) the raw number of people available to compete for those jobs (supply:demand)
2) the very low level of competence and skill of that large group which continues to earn at that level.
Want to get hired? Be worth hiring.
Want more money? Be worth more money.
Want significantly more money? Not until there aren't dozens available to replace you the next day.
So as the title suggests. Why is the minimum wage in USA so low? And another thing half the populations works for like $10/Hr or less. I think it's one of the problem in USA which has hurt the economy to some extent ever since the year 1990 when nominal prices (forget real prices as they'll paint a worst picture) started to outpace wages which have stagnated.
How are people meant to pay so much student debt , car debt, insurance, etc etc on such low starting wages!!!?
The reality is that the average wages aren't bad, it's just that the minimum wages are bad. And how so much people work for the minimum or very close to it.
Here in Australia the minimum wages are generous. You put more money in people's pocket, they spend that money and everyone is happy. I was working at a fast food and was making $20-$22/Hr
No one here will work for less than $20/Hr
I think the high wages has helped the Australian economy lots.
Unleaded gas is $1.38/L here in Sydney.
How much is a home in Sydney? Last I saw cost of living in Sydney and most of Australia is comparable to NYC or San Fran.
This isn't the case for most of the US and large cities typically do pay higher wages.
22/hr would qualify you for a 2-2.5k sq. ft house that is less than 10 years old on a third of an acre lot where I live. You would be considered upper middle class if you had two people earning that income. What would the price of that house be if everyone could afford it? 5-600k?
There are pros and cons to having high wages. One major con is the insane cost of living increases.
Yes exactly minimum wage was designed as a starting wage.
But right now in the U.S. most people, especially young adults and graduates are on the minimum wage or are at the new trend of $10/Hr
In Australia graduates don't have much debt, since studying is pretty cheap and the government also provides lots of support. And $30/Hr jobs are the minimum for graduates fresh out of UNI/College
USA defiantly needs to somehow increase its bottom end.
Think about it, the low-class to middle class are responsible for moving the economy. If they're having a hard time then the economy will do bad. There simply is no way out of that.
The fact right now is that their pockets are drained and they're indebted. So go figure.
Most are honestly not worth that minimum wage!!!!
I hired and fired people at the job I did earlier this year.
I also had some control over pay, and made it clear that pay depended on results, and overtime was ALWAYS available.
Some jobs were skilled trades, some were unskilled labor, almost without exception, those with skills were more than happy to make 1.5x/hour overtime, and the unskilled bums, who always complained about being broke (and drove nicer cars than many of us making many times their pay, and ate out every day while we brown bagged) left at 5!!!!
(we started unskilled at $8/hour....better than minimum wage!)
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