VA increased minimum wage and yet we have some of the lowest unemployment in the nation, Vermont has one of the highest minimum wages in the nation and is 2nd in lowest unemployment. The states with the highest unemployment are a mix of states with higher or lower minimum wages. Meanwhile, states with high minimum wage also have high wage growth, again Vermont is a good example.
Minimum wage does not directly lead to unemployment, I’m not sure where you would get that.
While on a micro level, some individual businesses would scale back when there are wage increases, but other businesses wouldn’t and prices would ultimately adjust.
Usually higher minimum wages lead to an increase in jobs. Cause it allows people to work less hours meaning companies have to hire other people to fill those voids. Most minimum wage jobs are in the retail and horeca sectors which are heavily dependent on local purchasing power. If the minimum wage goes up then purchasing power goes up too so they have to hire more people to handle that.
Simply put employment relies on markets, not wages. Companies hire people because they have a job to do, if they didn’t have to hire those people they wouldn’t. A higher minimum wage doesn’t change the fact that there is work to be done. No company seriously says “Wages are low so let’s hire some people for, reasons”. Instead what will happen is “Average wages in that area are up so let’s create a new establishment to serve those people there”.
