August 07, 2018
Minimum wage burden on small business
National's Māori development spokesman says raising the minimum wage too fast will cost Māori jobs.
Nuk Korako says the April rise to $16.50 an hour was in line with raises under National, when over nine years the minimum wage rose from $12.60 to $15.75.
But he attributes the increase of 4000 unemplyed in the latest quarter to the April rise, and says the Government's aspiration of a $20 minimum wage by 2020 will cost more than 28,000 jobs.
Nuk Korako says the answer is to drive economic growth which would lift wages overall.
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