$15/hour and paid internships...

[Andrew B]

The trouble with a lower minimum for minors isn't that they have the same expenses adults have. The trouble is that it encourages hiring them every chance you get in place of adults.

I was thinking that too, and the problem would be that there are a number of businesses that would hire people until they have to increase the pay for an adult. Too much potential for abuse.

[Aragarthiel]

The trouble with a lower minimum for minors isn't that they have the same expenses adults have. The trouble is that it encourages hiring them every chance you get in place of adults.

That would actually be a good thing in areas like mine, though. You can't get a job without a Bachelor's degree or experience around here, even in fast food, so anyone under the age of 25 is pretty much unhireable. The jobs that everyone says are entry-level are no longer entry-level, they're just a last resort for people who spent 20+ years in their field and got laid off.

[Andara Bledin]

The trouble with a lower minimum for minors isn't that they have the same expenses adults have. The trouble is that it encourages hiring them every chance you get in place of adults.

This is a solved problem.

You have limits. We already have this for things like percentage of non-full time staff, so it would be the same sort of thing to limit the number of non-adult interns.

[Jetfire]

The trouble with a lower minimum for minors isn't that they have the same expenses adults have. The trouble is that it encourages hiring them every chance you get in place of adults.

Well, hiring minors tends to come with a LOT of restrictions, both explicit and implicit.

Minors have to go to school, so you'd have a hard time filling out a workday with minors, since most of them can't show up until 1600 on weekdays.

Most places also have strict limits on how late a minor can work until, usually 9 or 10 PM; so you can't fill the overnight/graveyard shifts with them.

Minors generally can't handle controlled substances, so they can't ring through alcohol or man the cigarette register.

So while a business may have many chances to hire a minor, they won't be able to hire as many as they might need to run during normal business hours.

[s_stabeler]

to answer the question about teenagers not "deserving" $15 per hour: what everyone deserves is wages that cover all the expenses they are expected to pay, with a little left over. hence, there is actually no hypocrisy, since legally, a minor CANNOT be responsible for a car payment, rent, etc. ( by can't, I mean that the loan can't be in their name- whatever arrangement a minor makes with their parents is irrelevant for this)

So there is no hypocrisy in allowing a lower rate for someone who is still a minor- the dividing line is "do they need to pay bills, etc" - so your 19-year old should get the $15 per hour, since if their parents suddenly cut off all financial support, THEY would be liable. For someone under 18, if the parents cut off all financial support, the parents would be liable.

as for hiring teenagers, not adults: you'd be surprised. In the UK, there is a lower minimum wage for people under a certain age ( I forget what age) by a couple of pounds per hour. it's still common to hire adults, not kids.

[Kheldarson]

To continue with how the system adapts: in VA, 15 year olds are allowed to work. However, they can only be in certain types of jobs and work only certain hours. The grocery stores still prefer hiring older teens and adults because it's less work.