What is a Living Wage and Why Does it Matter?
Has the term “living wage” come up when discussing employee wages within your organization? What exactly is a living wage, and how can it affect your business? What is a Living Wage? A “living wage” is the wage an individual must earn to afford an adequate standard of living, based on the individual’s location, household size, and number of working adults. Those earning a living wage should be able to afford sufficient food, shelter, and other essential needs for their families. The living wage varies by state, city, and county and is based on the Living Wage Calculator , developed in 2004 by Amy Glasmeier, a professor of economic geography and regional planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Living Wage vs. Minimum Wage People often confuse living wage with minimum wage, but they are not the same. Congress created the federal minimum wage to prevent American workers from falling into poverty. ...