Seattle $15 min wage costs 5,000 jobs

[The Green Barbarian]

Seattle’s minimum-wage law is boosting wages for a range of low-paid workers, but the law is causing those workers as a group to lose hours, and it’s also costing jobs, according to the latest study on the measure passed by the City Council in 2014.

The report, by members of the University of Washington team studying the law’s impacts for the city of Seattle, is being published Monday by a nonprofit think tank, the National Bureau of Economic Research.

That lawraises Seattle’s minimum wage gradually until it reaches $15 for all by 2021.

The UW team published its first reportlast July on the impact of the first jump in Seattle’s minimum wage, which went in April 2015 from $9.47 to $10 or $11 an hour, depending on business size, benefits and tips.

The report also estimated that there are about 5,000 fewer low-wage jobs in the city than there would have been without the law.

Are you listening Horgan, you bone-head???

http://www.seattletimes.com/business/uw ... ting-jobs/

[Ranger66]

"The report also estimated that there are about 5,000 fewer low-wage jobs in the city than there would have been without the law."


If you read the entire article this statement is not as clear as title advocates.

[Glacier]

"The report also estimated that there are about 5,000 fewer low-wage jobs in the city than there would have been without the law."


If you read the entire article this statement is not as clear as title advocates.

The benefit of raising minimum wage means those are are lucky enough to get jobs make a few dollars more/hour. The downside is that an equal number of people make 0 dollars/hour. That's a reduction of $10/hour. So, basically, 5,000 people gain $5/hour while 5,000 lose $10/h. That doesn't sound like a net benefit to me.

[Ranger66]

"That doesn't sound like a net benefit to me."

I appreciate your analyzes but there are some issues with the “synthetic” Seattle model.