In US, Debate Grows Over Minimum Wage Raise

A US-based economist says Congress should indeed consider raising the minimum wage, as a way to promote better earnings, higher living standards and poverty reduction.

In Cambodia, workers are calling for a raise in their wages to $160 per month. In the US, the debate is whether the national minimum wage should be raised from $7.25 per hour to $10.10 per hour.

Critics say a higher minimum wage could hurt future hiring by businesses. But Duch Darin, an economist in the state of Florida, says a raise could help many Americans.

A raise could help as many as 16.5 million people in the US and bring nearly 1 million people out of poverty, he said.

Higher standards of living, reduced inflation on goods and services and job creation should all be top priorities for policymakers, he said. “Create jobs for people,” he said. “Then their political lives will be longer sustained.”