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Comment by missedthecue | Hacker News Reader

I don't think you're being nuanced enough. Wendy's in Montana is offering $17.50 an hour and not getting applicants. That's clearly a sign of some deep structural labor market issues.

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That's a TOTALLY different story than not being able to find people at $80k my guy.

Also $17.50 is an incomplete picture. How many hours per week? Any benefits? I would bet a years salary that it is <40 and no benefits. Would you take that job?

People in feb 2020 were taking the job for $12 an hour. Why won't they take it now for $17.50?

would love a citation for the $17.50 number. every posting for wendy's in MT is $13/hour, which is obviously pathetic.

First result

https://www.google.com/search?q=bozeman+montana+wendy%27s+hi...

Also, I don't understand why $13 is "obviously pathetic". I make a little over $15 an hour and I get by just fine.

For reference the lowest wage at a McDonald's in Denmark is above $18 plus extra for outside normal working hours like holidays etc.

The GDP per capita of denmark ($61,478) is 50% higher than montana ($39,356).

I wonder which way cause & effect goes.

I'm sure all developing countries need to do to raise their GDP is to increase their minimum wage!

Well, GDP is a measure of how much your country produces. Why do things get produced? Because it can be sold. Who buys things? People with money. How do people get money? By working and being paid. So pay people more, then they'll buy more, then producers can produce more, then your GDP goes up. Is it that simple? No, of course not. But it's not a crazy chain of connections.

> How do people get money? By working and being paid. So pay people more, then they'll buy more, then producers can produce more, then your GDP goes up.

That sounds more like inflation than productivity actually going up.

Low wages provide no incentive for productivity growth.

According to that logic, was the industrialization of north america and europe caused by... wage growth?

To add, one have a minimum wage while the other have a system where politicians have no say in wages (it's decided by employers and unions).

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