May 1998
Based upon an analysis of Labor Department data, Dr. David Macpherson finds the 1998-1999 Oregon minimum wage hike from $5.50 to $6.50 will cause more than 5,400 workers to lose job opportunities. As a consequence, Oregon workers will lose approximately $50 million in annual income. At the same time, minimum wage employers will see their labor costs rise by $162 million per year in order…
March 1998
Based upon an analysis of Labor Department data, Dr. David Macpherson finds the 1998 California minimum wage hike from $5.15 to $5.75 per hour will cause more than 25,000 workers to lose job opportunities. As a consequence, California workers will lose approximately $230 million in annual income. At the same time, minimum wage employers will see their labor costs rise by $790 million per year…
February 1998
During the fourth week of August 1996, President Clinton signed into law two bills with serious implications for the ability of low-skilled workers to find jobs. On the 20th, he signed a bill that would increase the federal minimum wage from $4.25 to $4.75 effective October 1, 1996, and from $4.75 to $5.15 on September 1, 1997. On the 22nd, he signed a bill that…
May 1997
Government policies dealing with employment and wages have both short term and long term effects. This is especially true with welfare reform. Clearly, the welfare policies now being developed in response to massive changes in the federal law will have immediate effects on individuals currently dependent on public aid. But what long term effect will these policies have on the children of welfare-dependent parents? When…
February 1997
Welfare reform is now a reality. Yet the challenge of moving millions from welfare to work will be as difficult as the reforms are popular. Policy makers and entry-level employers must now grapple with the employment impediments which are keeping much of the welfare population out of the work force. And foremost among these problems is illiteracy.
One-third of welfare recipients are functionally illiterate. They…