TOPIC:

❖ The government should raise the minimum wage.

OUTLINE
I. INTRODUCTION

A. THESIS

Poor households do not have much valuable physical assets to depend on. For their subsistence, they rely on the
labor of their household members and their productivity in employment and other income-generating activities.

B. CONTEXT

To get themselves out of poverty, they need to increase their work hours and productivity, a key factor for
higher wages.

II. BODY PARAGRAPH 1

A. It would address longstanding racial and gender inequities.

1. Historically marginalized people, who do more than their fair share of low-wage work, would stand to benefit
disproportionately from the bump.

III. BODY PARAGRAPH 2

A. It would save taxpayer money and reduce use of government programs

1. When employers don’t pay people enough to survive, those workers are compelled to seek government
assistance, meaning taxpayers are essentially subsidizing the corporations. In 2016, the Economic Policy Institute
found that, among recipients of public assistance, most work or have a family member who works; and they are
concentrated at the bottom of the pay scale. Raising wages for low-wage workers would “unambiguously reduce
net spending on public assistance, particularly among workers likely to be affected by a federal minimum-wage
increase.”

IV. BODY PARAGRAPH 3

A. It would reduce poverty

1. The pandemic has made this move even more urgent, as millions have slipped into poverty over the past year,
and 11 percent of adults are now facing food insecurity.

V. BODY PARAGRAPH 4
A. REDUCES THE VALUE OF LOWER-SKILL OR INEXPERIENCED WORKERS

1.(REASON) Increasing the minimum wage could diminish the value of hiring an inexperienced entrant worker,
as business owners may find it more cost-effective to hire a higher-paid experienced worker or invest in
machines and technology. Among those who would be unemployed as a result of the minimum wage increase,
teenagers, less-educated and lower-skill workers would be disproportionately represented.

2.(RESPONSE) Enact programs that foster connections between inexperienced workers and veteran employees.
Consider adding apprenticeships, job shadowing, career counseling and internship opportunities. Training
programs help employees improve their skills and transfer vital company information from senior employees to
new hires.
VI. CONCLUSION
The primary argument advanced in favor of raising the minimum wage is that higher earnings would improve the overall
standard of living for minimum wage workers by providing them with a more appropriate income level to handle the
cost-of-living increases. While some proponents of raising the minimum wage estimate that a much larger number of
individuals and families will move out of poverty if they earned more money, a related potential benefit is a projected
reduction in the need for federal and state government expenditures on financial aid for poor and low-income
individuals. Meanwhile, an intangible benefit that could translate into tangible benefits for both companies and
employees is improved employee morale resulting from higher wages. Business owners frequently note the challenge of
providing sufficient encouragement to spur workers to put maximum effort into their job duties, and that this is
particularly problematic with low-wage workers who feel that their job efforts aren't keeping them out of poverty. A
boost to economic growth is another potential advantage of increasing the minimum wage, as consumer spending
typically increases along with wages. A higher minimum wage would put more discretionary dollars in the pockets of
millions of workers; money that would then flow to retailers and other businesses.

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
The primary argument advanced in favor of raising the minimum wage is that higher earnings would
improve the overall standard of living for minimum wage workers by providing them with a more appropriate income
level to handle the cost-of-living increases. While some proponents of raising the minimum wage estimate that a much
larger number of individuals and families will move out of poverty if they earned more money, a related potential
benefit is a projected reduction in the need for federal and state government expenditures on financial aid for poor and
low-income individuals. Meanwhile, an intangible benefit that could translate into tangible benefits for both companies
and employees is improved employee morale resulting from higher wages. Business owners frequently note the
challenge of providing sufficient encouragement to spur workers to put maximum effort into their job duties, and that
this is particularly problematic with low-wage workers who feel that their job efforts aren't keeping them out of poverty.
Increasing employee morale could easily translate into more tangible benefits, such as increased employee retention
and reduced hiring and training costs. Employees who are more inclined to stay with a company longer could benefit
from greater advancement and from an overall reduction in job-related relocation expenses. A boost to economic
growth is another potential advantage of increasing the minimum wage, as consumer spending typically increases along
with wages. A higher minimum wage would put more discretionary dollars in the pockets of millions of workers; money
that would then flow to retailers and other businesses.