The current minimum wage, set by federal law, is less than $15 an hour. Is this enough for a person to provide for themselves and their family? Workers earning the minimum wage don't seem to think so and want an increase in the required minimum wage so they can be paid more by their employers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2015 that 3.6 million workers earned at or below minimum wage (“Minimum Wage Workers”). It seems wonderful at first that minimum wage workers earn extra money and are able to lead better lives, but what impact does an increase in the federal minimum wage have on the economy? Citizens of the United States in 1912 were concerned that employers were turning their labor into sweatshop jobs by underpaying them for their labor services. It was important for citizens that an established standard of living was created through legislation. In 1912, states began creating their own minimum wage laws in response, and by 1938 twenty-five states had some form of minimum wage laws in place ("Minimum Wage"). The federally regulated minimum wage was established under the Fair Labor Standards Act by the Roosevelt administration. This was only one part of the law and required every employer to pay their employees a federally established minimum amount for their labor services. In 1938, the minimum wage was set at $0.25 an hour. States were also given the ability to set their own minimum wage laws. If the state-regulated minimum wage exceeds the amount set by the federal government, then state law applies to citizens of that state. As with most economic policies, there are many concerns about the effects of what happens when the minimum wage is raised, inflation being one of many... middle of the paper... and, all affecting each other and change due to an amended piece of legislation. The challenge becomes to responsibly weigh the various effects of change and make the most informed decision possible as a nation. Works Cited Mankiw, Gregory. Principles of macroeconomics. 6th edition. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2012. Print."Minimum Wage." Gale Encyclopedia of American Law. Ed. Donna Batten. 3rd ed. vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 82-85. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Network. August 18, 2015. “Minimum wage workers accounted for 4.7% of workers paid hourly in 2014.” US Bureau of Labor Statistics. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, March 25, 2015. Web. August 20, 2015. Schmitt, Giovanni. Why does the minimum wage have no discernible effect on employment? Rep. Center for Economic and Policy Research, 13 February 2013. Web. 23 August. 2015.