February 22, 2021
The debate in the United States about whether to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour has ramped up again, as Democrats try to tack the measure onto the Biden administration's massive coronavirus relief package currently making its way through Congress. While most Democrats support the measure, it's still unclear whether they will have enough votes to pass the wage hike in the Senate, where some moderates may oppose it because of concerns about its effect on employers. So where does the current US minimum wage of $7.25 per hour fit in when measured against other advanced economies? We take a look at national minimum wages as a percent of the median wage around the world — that is, the mid-income level in a given country, which shines a light on the standard income of the middle-class.
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