Seattle has been a testing ground for raising the minimum wage. Debates were put aside and the wages were raised. The short term result is that wages are up, but there is no measurable effect in the rest of the economy. Increased wages are possibly being compensated by increased revenues. As businesses pay employees more, the employees spend more at other businesses, in a virtuous circle. The biggest news may be that raising wages didn’t create big news; which may encourage other regions and employers to follow.
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