Book Description

Wages for workers at the 10th percentile rose by 15.6 percent between 1995 and 2001, after adjusting for inflation.1 While the recent increases reversed a decline in earnings at the low end of the wage distribution, the purchasing power of the minimum wage remains below its 1981 value.2 Q: WHO IS AFFECTED BY THE MINIMUM WAGE IN CALIFORNIA? California workers earning at or near the minimum wage, be. [...] A 1999 study by government economists estimates that over 8 percent of workers nationally spend at least half of their first ten post-school years in jobs that pay within a dollar of the minimum wage.3 That is roughly the same as the current portion of California workers in jobs that pay near the minimum.4 This indicates that a sizable fraction of workers stay in jobs at or near the minimum wage f. [...] 2 Sacramento, CA 95814-2820 (916) 444-0500 FAX (916) 444-0172 921 11th Street, Suite 502 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE MINIMUM WAGE IN CALIFORNIA October 15, 2002 Q: DOES INCREASING THE MINIMUM WAGE RAISE WAGES? After the minimum wage increases in California between 1996 and 2001, wages rose substantially for those at the bottom of the wage distribution. [...] Wages for workers at the 10th percentile rose by 15.6 percent between 1995 and 2001, after adjusting for inflation.1 While the recent increases reversed a decline in earnings at the low end of the wage distribution, the purchasing power of the minimum wage remains below its 1981 value.2 Q: WHO IS AFFECTED BY THE MINIMUM WAGE IN CALIFORNIA? California workers earning at or near the minimum wage, be. [...] A 1999 study by government economists estimates that over 8 percent of workers nationally spend at least half of their first ten post-school years in jobs that pay within a dollar of the minimum wage.3 That is roughly the same as the current portion of California workers in jobs that pay near the minimum.4 This indicates that a sizable fraction of workers stay in jobs at or near the minimum wage f.