That’s what the government is basically telling prospective workers at the low end of the productivity scale.
Today’s minimum wage increase will be hailed as a boost for low-income workers. Unfortunately, the increase will hurt the people who could use low-paying jobs to build the skills and productivity they need to qualify for higher wages.
Roy Cordato explained in a 2006 report:
The link between productivity and wages is not difficult to understand,
Cordato said. ?You might not be able to see why ?one dollar more? an
hour would hurt people,? he said, ?but what if the state mandated $100
more an hour? Few of us would have the capabilities and skill to remain
employed.?Raising the minimum wage would not hurt most of us, Cordato said. ?Only
those who are the least experienced and least skilled will be hurt by
it. And those are the ones it?s supposed to help,? he said. ?The way to
help inexperienced, low-skilled workers is to make it possible for
employers to take a chance on them, so they can gain valuable
on-the-job training and experience in entry-level work. That is how
they can make themselves more valuable as employees.?
