tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post6958939880376091411..comments2024-03-28T09:22:36.967+13:00Comments on Offsetting Behaviour: Living wage mandates revisitedEric Cramptonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15831696523324469713noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-9777422804855512212013-09-11T16:38:31.410+12:002013-09-11T16:38:31.410+12:00Eric, it may be covered in one of your other posts...Eric, it may be covered in one of your other posts, but isn't it also a bit on the nose that there is no prioritisation of the (broadly speaking) 'social investment' that the living wage represents? Surely there is an onus on those administering public funds to determine that such a transfer is the most (broadly-speaking) value-enhancing ... rather than just, in effect, pandering to special interests? As such, there is an important public-sector-management angle to consider as well. Fine for a private employee to decide to pay it; quite different for any adminstrator of public funds to do it without robust process and consideration of options. What do you think?Peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-89779898548174707942013-09-04T08:50:17.908+12:002013-09-04T08:50:17.908+12:00Increasing the pay should increase the quality of ...Increasing the pay should increase the quality of the pool of applicants, yes. And ideally that leads to changes in job structure to take better advantage of the better quality of candidates. But if departments are run well then they're already taking this into account when setting staffing and pay; the additional constraint forces the hiring of too expensive of staff for some jobs.Eric Cramptonhttp://offsettingbehaviour.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-59771475626513201962013-09-04T06:38:09.764+12:002013-09-04T06:38:09.764+12:00Eric: would we not also expect to see an increase ...Eric: would we not also expect to see an increase in the quality of government services as an (even) higher wage made state-sector jobs more attractive, increasing the pool of candidates and enabling better ones to be selected? Interest ed in your opinion - I am not an economist.<br /><br /><br /><br />(Mischievously: if public-sector jobs already overpay versus the private sector, should we conclude instead that public servants already represent the cream of NZ's workers?)Nicola Rowenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-1225069699437566172013-09-02T16:00:04.492+12:002013-09-02T16:00:04.492+12:00I find it interesting that anytime "living wa...I find it interesting that anytime "living wage" is mentioned the fact this level is for households with 1.5 income earner providing for a family of 4 (2A2C) is usually missing. So really this should only apply to the main income earner with at least 2 dependent children. But then isnt that what WFF is supposed to achieve? Seems the "living wage" has now been hijacked as a min wage increase.Owen Matthewsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-87563602903579898572013-09-02T12:23:32.318+12:002013-09-02T12:23:32.318+12:00She's sweet.. here's Cunliffe today:
“You...She's sweet.. here's Cunliffe today:<br /><br />“You know, it is easy for a politician to promise the earth, moon and stars. To say that everyone will have a job tomorrow and a living wage. That is what I want and I won’t settle for less.”<br /><br /><br />JCJCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-49584882697719541562013-09-02T11:01:09.758+12:002013-09-02T11:01:09.758+12:00If that happens, then everything in my "$18 m...If that happens, then everything in my "$18 minimum wage" paragraph applies.Eric Cramptonhttp://offsettingbehaviour.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-27573150878392130692013-09-02T10:36:11.087+12:002013-09-02T10:36:11.087+12:00Of course the flow on effect would be a massive ag...Of course the flow on effect would be a massive agitation for private sector workers to be paid the same increase as the Govt workers and a Labour Govt would be obliged to submit to this to meet their idea of "fairness".<br /><br /><br />Then of course, there would be strife as the margins between lower paid workers and the higher paid got squeezed..<br /><br /><br />We've been here before.. "relativity" was the cry which meant a Govt mandated wage increase in one small sector of the economy had to be passed to all to maintain relativity and the rewards from striking went up.<br /><br /><br />JCJCnoreply@blogger.com