Ambitious minimum wages of 60% or more of the national mean wage are currently being debated in many countries. This column discusses the trade-off policymakers face when setting minimum wages. A quantitative spatial general equilibrium model predicts that the welfare-maximising minimum wage is higher than the employment-maximising minimum wage. Beyond 50% of the mean wage,
President Joe Biden has promised to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour.
Some economists are of the view that the increase in the minimum wage could cause an increase in unemployment. Other economists think that the increase is unlikely to harm the labor market. Hence, they are of the view that raising the minimum wage could lift the workers living standards.
For example, in a study conducted in the 1990s, economists David Card and Alan Krueger examined a minimum wage rise in New Jersey by comparing fast-food restaurants there and in an adjacent part of Pennsylvania.1 They found no impact on employment.