‘High minimum wages hinder job creation’

Published on 11 July 2013

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According to a report drafted by the High Council for Employment delivered on July 10, minimum wage legislation in Belgium, which ensures that workers are paid an average of €9.20 per hour, is an obstacle to the recruitment of low-qualified staff.
Only 38 per cent of people without secondary school diplomas have jobs, as opposed to 82 per cent of higher education graduates, points out De Standaard.
The minimum wage in Belgium varies between €7 and €18 per hour, depending on the sector. In its editorial, the daily calls for a review of certain minimum wages to boost recruitment, without, however, going as far as to “create German style ‘minijobs’ [...] that force people into the social class of the working poor, which is the new proletariat. Those who work should not have to live below the poverty line”.

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