Minimum Wage

[PerpetualImperfexion]

In the Netherlands the minimum wage grows higher as you get older. At the age of 15 the minimum wage is 2.52 EUR and by the time you turn 23 the minimum wage for your age group will have been increased to 8.40 EUR. Do you think that this is a good system? Should younger people make less money because they don't need it as much as the adults that make house payments, car payments, raise children, etc? If a similar system was implemented in the United States would it be helpful and do you think the minimum wage for older people would be raised do the decrease in minimum wage for younger people?

[KillerKing]

Hmm, pretty interesting thought. I can't speak for the United States being in the UK but I suppose their are pros and cons. I mean, no, a 15 year old would't (ideally) have a child to care for compared to say, someone who is 30. But if that 30 year old didn't have a child would they only be entitled to a lesser pay? Obviously thats just one side of it, and there are many more where an older person would be paying for something that a 15 year old wouldn't have to but I think there would be too much variation, and it would essentially be based on, you earn what you need which seems very unfair.

[MisterSix]

I think its a really good system. It means kids are more attractive to employ, so when they go for a more serious job they can say, "Yes, I have work experience."
And kids usually live with their parents so they have considerably less things they need spend it on

[JayTea]

Eh, that's good and bad....

If I wanted to save money, then I could get rid of all the adults and employ more of the children and teach them the adult's jobs. Sure, the children would not be as responsible and experienced as the adults, but to me, that system could be flawed too.

[Guillermo]

It's a great system for the Netherlands apparently. But trying to apply this minimum wage system to the United States wouldn't be beneficial, really. The car payments obviously doesn't apply as much to the Netherlands as it does to the US because they can't even obtain their license until they're 18, as it is in most of Europe. In the US, generally one can obtain their license around the age of 16. This is also an age where a lot of teens start to get a part-time job. They need transportation to get there, usually, and that means the parents will either buy their child a car or let them use one of theirs. Either way, they need to have gas and insurance. I personally know a good amount of people who either pay for gas or insurance (usually insurance) when they have their own car to drive around. And they come from middle to upper-middle class families. Furthermore, Europeans typically use public transportation better than Americans. Even in small, rural towns and villages public transportation is used. And in Amsterdam, there are more bikes than people. And bikes don't use fuel. So no need for the extra money for fuel or insurance if one bikes or uses public transportation in Amsterdam.

So, no overall in the US it wouldn't be helpful. Not sure how much it would hinder it, but the fact that some youth who are maybe from a middle to lower class couldn't really help their parents pay for gas or insurance would be a negative. It puts more of a burden on the parents. This would probably work in other European countries with a similar population to the Netherlands (like Belgium) but not in the US. The US is just too dependent on cars as our transportation.

[Hypers]

I dont think this kind of payment system is fair. Workers' ages can vary, and some young workers might be harder working than some old workers, so its unfair those young workers can get paid less.

And i dont think this system would work in the united states. College in the US is terrifyingly expensive and minimal wages won't be able to cover living costs(gas, food, others..).