Minimum wage and employment.

Summary Is the minimum wage necessarily the enemy of employment? The controversy continues unabated, particularly in France, over this legal threshold, the first forms of which were introduced more than a century ago to combat poverty wages. Its mechanisms have long been known, however. Studies conducted by economists in the many countries where it is used show that its introduction or increase can have negative, null or positive effects on employment, depending on the situation. The empirical results presented here allow us to reflect on the proper use of the minimum wage in our post-industrial societies marked by a growing polarization between a wealthy class with high purchasing power and an army of low-wage workers.