#MinimumWage #CulturalDifferences #LivingWage
Hey friends! So, here’s an interesting topic to dive into. Did you know that in France around **17% of people** and in Germany about **19%** rely on minimum wage jobs, compared to just **1% in the US**? 🤔 It makes you wonder—what’s going on there? Is it simply that they have higher minimum wages, or is there more to the story?
Let’s break this down a bit:
- Higher Minimum Wage: One clear factor is, of course, the higher minimum wages in these countries. This means more people qualify for these jobs, which pushes up those percentages.
- Cultural Attitudes: There might be a cultural aspect at play too. In Europe, there’s often a stronger support for workers’ rights and living wages. People might be more inclined to seek jobs that pay at least the minimum wage.
- Social Safety Nets: Countries like France and Germany often provide robust social safety nets, which could mean that people are less reliant on low-paying jobs to make ends meet compared to the US.
But let’s not forget the impact of all this—higher percentages of minimum wage workers can lead to discussions around economic stability and social equity. If people are struggling to get by on low wages, it can create a ripple effect on family life, community health, and even the economy as a whole.
So, what do you think might be a possible solution? 💭 Perhaps a reevaluation of the minimum wage in the US could help? Or maybe more initiatives to support living wages globally? 🤷♂️
I’d love to hear your thoughts! What’s your perspective on the minimum wage situation? Have you had any experiences that highlight these differences? Feel free to share your tips or insights! Let’s discuss! 👇
the 1% is for the percentage of workers making the federal minimum wage. if you instead did the percentage of workers who earn the state/local minimum wage the percentage would be higher, although I don’t have any specific numbers off hand.
If you ballpark the average state + local minimum wage at $10 / hour, you’d find that 3% of workers make under that amount. To get to ~20%, you’d need to increase the minimum wage to around $16 / hour.
https://www.epi.org/low-wage-workforce/