# FILE NAME: 00001238.soc
# TITLE: Should the minimum wage be lowered to make jobs more available? [2e04556f90aca6af74d8bc6c19d63bae]
# DESCRIPTION: 
# DATA TYPE: soc
# MODIFICATION TYPE: original
# RELATES TO: 
# RELATED FILES: 
# PUBLICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# MODIFICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# NUMBER ALTERNATIVES: 4
# NUMBER VOTERS: 5
# NUMBER UNIQUE ORDERS: 4
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 1: Statement 1 - In general, the minimum wage is an important factor in any economic system and we agree that in most cases, it is necessary to maintain it at a decent level in order to ensure that workers are not being exploited. However, we feel that there are situations where lowering the minimum wage may be justified. If an economy is struggling, it may be necessary to reduce the minimum wage in order to increase the amount of jobs available, since it will become cheaper to employ workers. However, this should only be done as a temporary measure, since the long term effects of reduced pay may be damaging to workers.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 2: Statement 2 - No, the minimum wage should not be lowered. It would lead to exploitation of workers and an increase in the cost of living. There are alternative ways to increase the availability of jobs such as hybrid working and making it easier for small businesses to operate.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 3: Statement 3 - Wage flexibility is critical in an efficient labour market, and can help improve job availability. The trade-off, however, is that it will also lead to increased pay inequality, so we need to carefully balance these two competing goals when designing policy.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 4: Statement 4 - We don't think the minimum wage should be lowered to make jobs more available. We think this is a bad idea as it would increase the pay inequality and decrease the quality of life of workers on minimum wage. We think the current system has been shown to work pretty well, so we see no or little reason to change. Unemployment doesn't seem to be an issue (by historical standards). This could easily be abused by companies to heavily underpay workers and exploit them. In fact, minimum wage should be higher since it can help people afford more things, and companies should make it more easier for employees such as hybrid or remote working to save money on costs. Decreasing minimum wage will only make it unfair on people who are on minimum wage right now, as they're budgeting for their current income which is not even enough right now.
2: 4,1,3,2
1: 4,1,2,3
1: 1,4,3,2
1: 4,2,1,3