People who take minimum wage jobs often do so with the expectation of working their way up the ladder, or using the experience to find better-paying jobs. But more and more, those who start working at minimum wage keep working there, according to an article on fivethirtyeight.com.
Two decades ago, only 20% of workers who started at a minimum wage job were still making minimum wage a year later; today, the figure is 33%. Half of the 3.2 million workers nationwide earning minimum wage are over the age of 25; up from 40% a decade ago.
While the unemployment rate has remained low, wage growth has not risen as much as has been expected. That’s why some states and cities are looking to artificially boost wages by raising the minimum wage to as much as $15 per hour. Most minimum wage workers today are more likely to be older, married, and have kids than at any time in the past.
