A new study is further shattering the myth that minimum wage hikes kill jobs.

Phys.org reports:

“Restaurants, retail stores and other small businesses, long thought to be vulnerable to increases in the minimum wage, generally do not cut jobs and may actually benefit when governments raise minimum pay, according to a new study co-authored at UC Berkeley.

The prevailing wisdom among many business owners and policymakers is that when the minimum wage rises, smaller low-wage employers suffer more from higher labor costs and are more likely to cut jobs. But the groundbreaking new study, co-authored by Berkeley economist Michael Reich, found that small businesses can pass the costs on to consumers with little negative impact.

‘A minimum wage increase doesn’t kill jobs,’ said Reich, chair of UC Berkeley’s Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics (CWED). ‘It kills job vacancies, not jobs. The higher wage makes it easier to recruit workers and retain them. Turnover rates go down. Other research shows that those workers are likely to be a little more productive, as well.’

The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since 2009, but California and dozens of state and local governments in recent years have raised their minimum to $15.50 or more.

The new working paper is the first ever to examine the impact of higher minimum wages on small, low-wage businesses, a sector that includes restaurants, grocery and retail stores, and child care operations. It’s the second recent study by Reich and co-authors that challenges the conventional wisdom on minimum wages.”

For the rest of the story, visit Phys.org here.