BET: Minimum Wage Increases Mean that More Black Teens Get Fired

Minimum wage increases evidently lead to businesses being forced to cut hours and fire staff members. Even though there are so many studies proving this, like how the $15 an hour wage has hurt the Seattle economy, raising the minimum wage is still on the Democratic agenda.  

Sen. Bernie Sanders re-introduced a bill to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour in April.

Ironically, #FightFor15 advocates continue to fight for something that would actually negatively impact the younger generations and minorities. This is the same group often in support of the liberal agenda and liberals have pledged to protect this segment of the population.  

The fact that minimum wage only leads to fewer jobs was not ignored by Black Entertainment Television (BET) back in 2011 when the network reported that black teens are more likely to be fired when the minimum wage spikes.  

“And economists William Even from Miami University and David Macpherson from Trinity University report that when a state, or the federal government, increases the minimum wage, Black teens are more likely to be laid off. The duo analyzed 600,000 data points, which the Employment Policies Institute says included “a robust sample of minority young adults unprecedented in previous studies on the minimum wage,” writes BET. 

According to the report’s findings, the employment of 16 to 24-year-old Black males without high school diplomas decreased by 6.5% as the minimum wage increased by 10%. While employment for white and Hispanics in the same age range and with the same level of education fell just to 2.5% and 1.2%.

“The findings reveal that while 13,200 Black young adults lost their jobs as a direct result of the recession nearly 40 percent more, a total of 18,500, were fired because of the rise in the federal minimum wage, raising the researchers’ question: “Why do black males suffer more harm from wage mandates than their white or Hispanic counterparts?” writes BET.  

BET also mentioned that the fast food industry, in particular, has a work force made up of a large number of young Black employees. One of three young African Americans work in the restaurant industry. BET warned that the minimum wage increase isn’t necessarily a good thing for young Black Americans.

“But African-American teens working in that highly-competitive industry with its narrow profit margins should know that their job is on shaky ground when the minimum wage rises,” writes BET.

Author’s note: We are glad to see this report re-emerge from the media. Could this mark the beginning of a major shift in liberal thinking? The $15 an hour wage spike has had detrimental effects on Seattle’s economy. Imagine the impact it would have on every state if a federal $15 minimum wage bill was passed? The impact on minority workers could be so damaging, they would be in an even worst situation.