The Minimum Wage Necessarily Increases Unemployment for the Unskilled

Abstract

For many analysts, the question of whether minimum wage legislation leads to unemployment for unskilled workers is primarily an empirical one. Nearly all economists base their judgment on this matter on the weight of evidence. However, this paper posits a different perspective: that the law necessarily results in unemployment for unskilled workers, and this conclusion arises from pure logic, not empirical evidence. This stance is not widely embraced within mainstream economic circles, as most adhere to the Logical Positivism school of thought. Within this paradigm, claims are either inherently true (and therefore tautological, bearing no implications for real-world issues like unemployment) or they are empirical assertions, which can reflect reality but aren't intrinsically true. In stark contrast, this paper's analysis is rooted in the synthetic a priori—assertions that are inherently true and yet still shed light on economic reality.