Should teens minimum wage be raised

It is often questioned if minimum wage should be raised especially when considering the teen labor force. This is a difficult topic because of course everyone wants to make more money and with the minimum wage that is in place working can be difficult for teens.

Ohio’s current minimum wage is $8.55 an hour, so to some teens working may not seem worth it. They could use that time for social activities as well as school work which could benefit them in the future. However, for many teens not working isn’t an option especially when it comes to saving for college and daily life.

I believe that minimum wage should be raised but only to a certain extent. When minimum wage is increased throughout the state the number of jobs available decreases to compensate for the increase in wages.

On the other hand, according to ProCon.org, “A higher minimum wage will help create jobs and grow the economy; that the declining value of the minimum wage is one of the primary causes of wage inequality between low- and middle-income workers; and that a majority of Americans, including a slim majority of self-described conservatives, support increasing the minimum wage.”

Increasing the minimum wage would put more teens out of work than adults. When minimum wage is increased companies cannot typically afford to keep or hire more employees and teens are usually the first to go. They are more likely to keep the adult workers.

Economics journalist, Adam Millsap, reports “Since 2000, the percentage of teens between 16 and 19 years old who are employed has fallen from 46% to around 30%.”

Minimum wage for teens should be raised so they can begin to take on more adult responsibilities that will prepare them for the future. It is crucial that teens learn how to manage their money more independently before they begin college. But with the low amounts teens make it is not possible for teens to begin taking on this responsibility. Some teens become dependent on family to cover expenses so when that cushion is no longer there they are stuck.

On the other hand, some teens are responsible to cover most expenses for things like gas and with the low minimum wage it is difficult for them to begin saving for their future. Saving is another important thing for teen to begin once they start when they first start working, but, the low wages it may not seem worth it.

Overall, raising would benefit teens by giving them more spending money for daily life, college tuition, etc. However, minimum wage cannot increase by too much because it will decrease the amount of jobs available to the working teen population.