Why is a living wage considered a price floor? Does imposing a living wage have the same outcome as a minimum wage?

Short Answer

Expert verified

A livable wage functions as a price floor because it is a prescribed minimum salary. If the living wage is legally enforceable, it will result in an oversupply of workers at that wage rate. So, it has the same affect as minimum wage.

Step by step solution

01

Definition

Wage:

The amount of money paid to an individual for providing labor services to a company or an individual employer is referred to as wage. The amount of money given to an individual is determined by the amount of time it takes to complete the task and the abilities required to complete it.

02

Explanation

A livable wage functions as a price floor because it is a prescribed minimum salary (assuming, of course, that it is followed).

If the living wage is legally enforceable, it will result in an oversupply of workers at that wage rate. So, it has the same affect as minimum wage.

03

Conclusion

Therefore, the living wage-price floor must be set higher than the equilibrium wage to be legally binding. Assume the US economy begins to develop at a faster rate than the rest of the globe.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Predict how each of the following economic changes will affect the equilibrium price and quantity in the financial market for home loans. Sketch a demand and supply diagram to support your answers.

  1. The number of people at the most common ages for home-buying increases.
  2. People gain confidence that the economy is growing and that their jobs are secure.
  3. Banks that have made home loans find that a larger number of people than they expected are not repaying those loans.
  4. Because of a threat of a war, people become uncertain about their economic future.
  5. The overall level of saving in the economy diminishes.
  6. The federal government changes its bank regulations in a way that makes it cheaper and easier for banks to make home loans.

In the labor market, what causes a movement along the supply curve? What causes a shift in the supply curve?

Would usury laws help or hinder resolution of a shortage in financial markets?

Predict how each of the following events will raise or lower the equilibrium wage and quantity of oil workers in Texas. In each case, sketch a demand and supply diagram to illustrate your answer.

a. The price of oil rises.

b. New oil-drilling equipment is invented that is cheap and requires few workers to run.

c. Several major companies that do not drill oil open factories in Texas, offering many well-paid jobs outside the oil industry.

d. Government imposes costly new regulations to make oil-drilling a safer job.

Other than the demand for labor, what would be another example of a “derived demand?”

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