CBO: $15 minimum wage would lead to 1.4 million lost jobs | THE HIGHLAND COUNTY PRESS

A $15 minimum wage would result in 1.4 million jobs lost and disproportionately hurt younger workers and those with less education, a new Congressional Budget Office report says.

President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and other Democrats have proposed raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, more than double the current federal minimum of $7.25 an hour

The Georgia Center for Opportunity, which advocates for those in poverty through free-market solutions, said the negatives of such a large minimum wage hike outweigh any benefits.

“Workers need immediate help, but doubling the federal minimum wage when Georgia small businesses are closing left and right is not the right answer,” Buzz Brockway, GCO’s director of public policy, said in a statement. “Recent data have shown us that unilateral minimum wage hikes hurt low-income, low-skilled workers the most. What’s needed for low-income Georgia workers is more than a temporary fix: What’s needed is practical training and credentialing to help them ‘upskill’ into better-paying jobs and careers.”

Share This