With inflation skyrocketing, many people are unable to pay for basic necessities to survive. As of January 2023, the minimum wage is set to $15.50. The minimum wage should be $20-25 because inflation will continue to rise and leave more people needing to work overtime in order to live. This is because demands are high for goods and services that are commonly used among people. Many underpaid workers are adults who are also supporting a growing family and often need to reach out for assistance from the government to support their families.

My mother, who works for the Department of Social Services, states that over her years working, the most common job among family members receiving benefits from the government has now become UBER. This is because they are self-employed and receive a tax break, as they are using their own utilities, such as expenses for gas, oil changes, and car cleaning products.

Although workers who are paid the minimum wage do not receive a tax break because they don’t have self-employment business expenses to cover, their entire paychecks are taxed by the government. This means their pay is much less, leaving them with little to work with and live off of. The average rent cost in Santa Clarita is around $2,540. At this cost, minimum wage workers are unable to even pay their monthly rent, let alone support a growing family. Oftentimes, teenagers are forced to find a job and help support their family because their family’s income is too low to purchase necessities for everyone in the household.

Therefore, as inflation continues to rise, people will continue to seek help from the government because they are unable to afford their necessities off of their pay from their minimum wage job. Consequently, the minimum wage pay should be raised in order to offset the high cost of living.