.
Does raising the minimum wage help the Poor ?
A. Leigh,
Centre for Economic Policy Research,
Canberra, Discussion paper, n° 501, November, 22 p.,
(2005).
Résumé - Summary
What is the impact of raising the minimum wage on family incomes? Analysing
the characteristics of low wage workers, I find that those who earn near-minimum
wages are disproportionately female, unmarried and young, without post-school
qualifications and overseas born. About one-third of near-minimum wage workers
are the sole worker in their household. Due to low labour force participation
rates in the poorest households, minimum wage workers are most likely to be in
middle-income households. Using various plausible parameters for the effect of
minimum wages on hourly wages and employment, I estimate the impact of a minimum
wage rise on inequality.