Could a $9 Minimum Wage Reduce Illegal Immigration?

Title is per bussinessweek.com report. Notable snippet:

If companies pay more for low-skilled work, they’ll have an easier time finding native-born workers and legal immigrants to fill the jobs. That will decrease the demand for illegal workers.

www.businessweek.com...=hpt-ls

True, not true or somewhere in the middle?

Also, why paint the minimum wage rate with an immigration brush? Is that the bi overture in bipartisan?

I think the propositions are nonsense. They at least suggest that there is a pool of native workers surviving ... somehow. So, I guess, the Executive & Company will try & shift "somehow" into private enterprises with interest, despite that the mandate will, at least in principle, increase unemployment. And it's even more puzzling, I think, because the FED's QE prime (my colloquial term for their current plan) isn't set to taper down until unemployment reaches back down to the 6.5 range.

reply to post by Kovenov


9 dollars an hour isn't enough to survive in America unless you live in a house with 10 people all making 9hr. Minimum wage has nothing to do with companies hiring legitmate American's to fill the jobs as all they are doing is destroying the ecconomy with a sub par work force.

Wait until the illegals wisen up and start asking for raises, what then? I'm starting to see it now with the Mexican workforce that goes unchecked in America. And believe me they are hard workers!~ I do agree and I don't see a problem hiring any race or color just as long as your a citizen. If you have a green card and are working towards citizenship I will hire you too. Anyone else.... Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya~

Originally posted by Kovenov
Title is per bussinessweek.com report. Notable snippet:

If companies pay more for low-skilled work, they’ll have an easier time finding native-born workers and legal immigrants to fill the jobs. That will decrease the demand for illegal workers.

www.businessweek.com...=hpt-ls

True, not true or somewhere in the middle?

Also, why paint the minimum wage rate with an immigration brush? Is that the bi overture in bipartisan?

I think the propositions are nonsense. They at least suggests that there is a pool of native workers surviving ... somehow. So, I guess, the Executive & Company will try & shift "somehow" into private enterprises with interest, despite that the mandate will, at least in principle, increase unemployment. And it's even more puzzling, I think, because the FED's QE prime (my colloquial term for their current plan) isn't set to taper down until unemployment reaches back down to the 6.5 range.

This is going to further kill Mom and Pop businesses. Corporations will survive the hit, but local eataries and other places (currently struggling now) will close and allow for more wonderful Applebees and Wal-mart jobs.

I would have agreed had there been a distinction between small business and corporation or the amount of employees- I.E. Tier the system to allow for a higher min wage if there is (for example) 500 employees or greater.

Min wage should rise, but not in this manner. Mcdonalds and Wal-mart could afford this, local business cannot and ion turn this is going to increase corporate power while killing local business. =(

That subject is controvertial. Raising the minimum wage will raise prices which will lower buying which will eventually cut jobs. This will up the income of the low wage earners and innitially lower their government assistant for low income individuals. This results in inflation which the government will deny exists because they changed the way they interpret it. It is just a way of artificially showing less government spending by upping costs. This does not solve the problem in our economy, it just keeps us from seeing a problem.

Raising the minimum wage to nine bucks an hour may increase people coming over the boarder. Illegal immigrants will be being paid a lot more for their work. In a short time people will get acclimated to the nine bucks an hour and want more because of the inflation that evolves. Three years down the line and nine bucks an hour will be worth less than the seven something an hour that is now required.

This will hurt the small businesses in the longrun. Workers who have worked themselves up to nine dollars an hour won't like that everyone will be making as much as them with their experience. Raising the minimum wage this fast is bad for everyone.

If a company is such a Scofflaw when it comes to legal status, why would a higher minimum wage deter that company from hiring under the table for less? And if the argument is so wages reflect the higher cost of living, then why add an additional cost to employers to hire anyone?

Here I thought the point was to encourage employers to hire more workers in general so we might have true economic growth.

Helping Mexico destroy the cartels that control its government and offering Mexico a radicaly better trade deal to help encourage local economic growth will stop illegal immigration.

Originally posted by DarKPenguiN
This is going to further kill Mom and Pop businesses. Corporations will survive the hit, but local eataries and other places (currently struggling now) will close and allow for more wonderful Applebees and Wal-mart jobs.

It's been my experience that Mom and Pop businesses already tend to pay more than the big Corporations. Probably due to the owners actually knowing their staff.

If a business can not survive without paying their staff a living wage, then it is not a viable business and I and many others, am sick of subsidizing them.

Originally posted by sulaw
reply to post by Kovenov

 

9 dollars an hour isn't enough to survive in America unless you live in a house with 10 people all making 9hr. Minimum wage has nothing to do with companies hiring legitmate American's to fill the jobs as all they are doing is destroying the ecconomy with a sub par work force.

Wait until the illegals wisen up and start asking for raises, what then? I'm starting to see it now with the Mexican workforce that goes unchecked in America. And believe me they are hard workers!~ I do agree and I don't see a problem hiring any race or color just as long as your a citizen. If you have a green card and are working towards citizenship I will hire you too. Anyone else.... Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya~

That is exactly what the Mexican illegals do. They elect 1 person in a house with 10 people living in it and give all their money to them. The elected head of the household gives them an allowance and pays the bills. They save money to sneak more family into the US. Raising the minimum wage will actually give us more illegal immigrants, businesses will have little choice but to hire them under the table or go out of business.

reply to post by Ahabstar

And if the argument is so wages reflect the higher cost of living ...

That's one aspect I'm curious about, which is why I wonder if this immigration aspect isn't an overture to political groups against minimum wage increases.

Wowzer, I did not even realize minimum wage in the US was only $7.25/hr!! Is that nation wide or does it vary from state to state as it does up here in Canada. We are currently sitting at 10.25/hr in Ontario Canada.

How can you expect to survive on that, even though i know many manage it.

Job cuts would be the result of an increased minimum wage I think.

The way they are pushing amnesty, illegals will be able to keep their jobs while millions of citizens are still unemployed, no matter what the wage is.

raising min. wage will do precisely what it's always done. Those who used to have a bit higher pay by merit or time will find themselves at the same level as a new hire, as ALL wages sure won't rise among the sectors that Min. Wage is even a factor. Prices will rise though, fewer people will have jobs as more cuts are found in suddenly higher labor costs in every business in those sectors ....and it'll be that much closer to totally impossible for teens to get much of any work, doing anything.

After all, if I HAVE to pay $9 to a warm body to do work...who will I choose in this environment of PhD's looking for fast food work just to feed themselves? Will I take a teenager just starting out and learning the basics of functioning in the working world? ...Or... Will I take the adult who may even have degrees and will work at the same rate for lack of any other options?

I don't know if anyone has glanced at the break down un-unemployment lately but the younger crowd doesn't need any more institutional barriers slapped in place to block their entry into an already flooded workforce competing for every job, at all levels. Of course some will say this will do WONDERFUL things...but I ask, where are the wonderful things from the last raises in Min. Wage? I'm still feeling pretty screwed as always. Nothing much changed that I noticed, outside those higher prices.

reply to post by BritofTexas


I'm familiar with a businessman in my area who does likewise. His rational is basically summed up as saying that he'd rather pay a tax receipt to his employees versus to the IRS. And I've always thought that was intereting because it demonstrated (at least in this one example) how government modified behavior.

Just curious about the U.S "minimum" wage?, is that taxable?

Because here in the UK we have a minimum wage, and basicaly this is the very minimum our government has decided you, as a person can live on. Then they tax it LOL and offset that tax by benefits provided by other people earning more. Crazy.

reply to post by MDDoxs


It is a federal requirement. As for states' requirements ... I'm uncertain

Bet someone on ATS will know though.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Palm lights are an option, maybe.

reply to post by Tuttle


Minimum wage employees do take payroll deductions, yes. What a min. wage employee might be refunded after filing his or her tax return is variable. That, I don't know off the top of my head.

Nine Dollars a hour is still a Joke. Thats not a Living Wage, thats Barely an Existing Wage.
I pay my guys more than Twice that, because I have too, to keep Skilled Labor.
When I go through a Drive Thru, and see young People working for Peanuts, My heart goes out to them.
Slavery is alive and well in the "greatest country in the World"

No. If they come here now for 7.00 an hour, do you expect them to leave for 2 dollars more? All this will do is help cut into the middle class, and cause more inflation.

If it cost more to make, do, ship, package, and warehouse , wh do you think will pay for it. Meanwhile the middle class doesn't get any more. You get the double hit of devalued labor rate and increased inflation.

Stupid idea.

reluctantpawn

reply to post by Tuttle


My comment here is a bit off topic, but in reply I've long been thinking now that legalization of drugs is probably the best way to defeat cartels. But if it's bad for drug cartels then it's probably bad for government entities that are reliant on the war on drugs to send their kids to college.

Just my two cents.