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Economics glossary · Work and what it pays

Minimum wage

What minimum wage means in economics, with an example and a question to test yourself.

Definition
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is a price floor that makes it illegal for an employer to pay less than a set hourly rate.
Not to be confused with: Binding price floor
A price floor is binding when it sits above the equilibrium wage and so determines the market outcome.
Test yourself

What is the difference between minimum wage and binding price floor?

Learn it properly: the module

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