States with Already High Teen Unemployment Rates Will See Unintended Consequences
WASHINGTON – The Employment Policies Institute (EPI) responded to recent announcements of minimum wage increases in four states (Montana, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington). These increases come with a myriad of real unintended consequences that are particularly harmful to less-educated and minority groups.
Each of these states is already suffering a high average teen unemployment rate (see below) and is at risk for creating further job loss. Activists in Missouri are pushing for a minimum wage increase to $8.25 an hour through a 2012 ballot initiative. That state’s average teen unemployment rate as of August 2011 was 32.8 percent.
|
Recently Announced Wage Rates |
|||
|
State |
Old Wage |
New Wage* |
Teen Unemployment Rate** |
|
Montana |
$7.35 |
$7.65 |
26.8% |
|
Ohio |
$7.40 |
$7.70 |
23.0% |
|
Oregon |
$8.50 |
$8.80 |
27.4% |
|
Washington |
$8.67 |
$9.04 |
33.3% |
|
*Effective January 1, 2012 |
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Recent economic research from West Point found that past minimum wage increases in these states have decreased teen employment; specifically, each 10 percent increase has reduced employment for 16-to-19 year-olds by over 3.5 percent.
For minority groups, the consequences are even worse: New research from economists David Macpherson (Trinity University) and William Even (Miami University) found that each 10 percent increase in the minimum wage decreased employment for less-educated white 16-to-24 year-olds by 2.5 percent, while for black 16-to-24 year-olds employment dropped by 6.5 percent.
Michael Saltsman, research fellow at the Employment Policies Institute, explained: “Between 2003 and 2007, 28 states—including Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington—raised their minimum wage above the federal level, with the stated goal of helping the lowest-paid workers. Yet, despite these good intentions, award-winning economic research published last year found no resulting reduction in poverty.”
The reasons are two-fold: First, minimum wage increases are poorly targeted to low-income families, and often benefit part-time employees in a higher-income family instead of the intended recipients. Second, wage hikes make it more expensive to hire less-skilled and less-experienced jobseekers, and the unintended consequence is fewer hours and jobs for people who need them most.
Saltsman concluded: “Especially at a time when this country’s labor market is stagnating, we shouldn’t be celebrating a policy that creates more barriers to employment.”
