62 percent of employers think minimum wage should be increased

I have had some small business owners tell me they thing the government should mandate something like health care or higher minimum wage because they would like to provide it for their employees, but can't afford to because their competitors don't do it, and they would not be competitive.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/62-percent-of-employers-think-minimum-wage-should-be-increased-finds-new-careerbuilder-survey-2014-09-25

CHICAGO, Sept. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- With state, local, and midterm elections just five weeks away, the minimum wage remains one of the nation's top socioeconomic and political issues. Recent national polls have shown support for minimum wage increases among voters at large, and according to a new CareerBuilder survey, many businesses are right there with them.

The survey found that a strong majority of employers (62 percent) think the minimum wage in their state should be increased, including 58 percent of company senior leaders.

The nationwide survey, which was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder from May 13 to June 6, included a representative sample of 2,188 full-time hiring and human resource managers and 3,372 full-time workers in the private sector across industries and company sizes.

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Why do employers say the minimum wage should be increased? Among employers who want an increase in their state, improving the standard of living of workers led all business-related reasons for their support. A majority say a higher minimum wage helps the economy and helps them retain employees.

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Interestingly, employers currently hiring minimum wage workers are more likely to support a minimum wage increase than those who are not by an 11-point margin (70 percent vs. 59 percent).

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