Minimum wage increases will lead to lost jobs (Op-ed)

From the San Diego-Union Tribune:
Sixteen states – including California – are considering legislation this year to raise their minimum wage. Most economists agree that raising the minimum wage will in most cases reduce employment opportunities for less-skilled workers. But minimum-wage advocates in California have argued the opposite, pointing at two studies by a team of economists affiliated with UC Berkeley which boldly assert that there are “no detectable employment losses from the kind of minimum wage increases we have seen in the United States.” It’s a provocative claim, if true. In a new report, however, Ian Salas (UC Irvine), William Wascher (Federal Reserve Board) and I subject these revisionist studies (and the assumptions they rely on) to rigorous empirical testing. Our results suggest that California policymakers shouldn’t be so quick to set aside a tested economic consensus.

For the full story, please visit http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/08/tp-minimum-wage-increases-wil....