Something that has been extensively covered the news lately, is the demand of Walmart workers across the United States to have their wages increased to $15.00 an hour. Many Walmart employees were interviewed their opinions on whether or not they think the wages should be increased or not. As one would expect, majority of these employees were in favour of an increase of their wages. I do not see this as a viable option to help the economic issues of the nation. Few however, did not see that as a reasonable option. One employee specifically, Shantel says $15 an hour “is pushing it” (Stangler 2015). For an entry level job, designed for people with no post-secondary education, the wages really aren’t that terrible, with Shantel earing $9.40/hr (Stangler 2015). If this wage increases were to be implemented, there would be other repercussions that the short sighted could not envision. Based on economic principles, if the minimum wage were to increase this drastically, there are many negatives. Companies would be less willing, as well as less able to employ the same amount of employees, they might also consider increasing their prices to compensate (Halvorson 2015). Another negative side effect is that the demand for this jobs will intensify, as overqualified individuals might also shift their attention to these high paying minimum wage jobs (Halvorson 2015). Society as a whole would not benefit from this increase.

Halvorson, Chad. “The Pros and Cons of Raising the Minimum Wage.” When I Work. N.p., 6 Mar. 2014. Web. 01 Oct. 2015. <http://wheniwork.com/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-raising-the-minimum-wage/>.

Stangler, Cole. “Walmart Workers Still Unsatisfied, 7 Months After Widely Celebrated Pay Raise.” International Business Times. N.p., 23 Sept. 2015. Web. 01 Oct. 2015. <http://www.ibtimes.com/walmart-workers-still-unsatisfied-7-months-after-widely-celebrated-pay-raise-2106949>.

MinimumWage. Digital image. Beyond. N.p., 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 01 Oct. 2015. <http://www.beyond.com/articles/effect-of-the-minimum-wage-increase-on-retail-and-small-business-12183-article.html>.