The company can also allow a position to go unfilled for a time to increase its leverage; the unskilled worker would starve trying to stall for a higher wage. This again invalidates the argument that the free market can set wages effectively -- it cannot given the imbalance of bargaining power between workers and businesses. The minimum wage serves a specific economic role of balancing the bargaining power between workers and businesses.

One must also take into consideration the effect that the minimum wage has on the overall economy, and what would change if the minimum wage was abolished. By providing workers with a guaranteed living wage, the minimum wage ensures that they are able to purchase goods and services. Without a living wage, they would not purchase to the same level. If the minimum wage was abolished, companies would not lower the prices to reflect lower costs; rather, they...
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