Qué es e-verify y cómo afecta el trabajo de inmigrantes

Quà © es e-verify y cà ³mo afecta el trabajo de inmigrantes El programa  e-verify es una herramienta gratuita en Internet del Gobierno federal que permite a empresas y empleadores individuales verificar, en el momento de una nueva contratacià ³n, si la persona que pretenden  emplear est autorizada para trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos. E-verify utiliza la informacià ³n sobre el potencial empleado que cada empresa registra  en la planilla que se conoce como I-9 y que el empleador introduce en el programa para compararla con informacià ³n de las bases de datos del Departamento de Seguridad Interna (DHS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) y de la Administracià ³n de la Seguridad Social. En apenas unos segundos se obtiene la respuesta confirmando que el potencial trabajador est autorizado o, por el contrario, que no lo est. La respuesta negativa se seà ±ala con una nota conocida como no confirmacià ³n tentativa (TNC, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) y que equivale a una no autorizacià ³n. En este artà ­culo se informa sobre el funcionamiento de este programa, quà © empresas estn obligadas a utilizarlo, quà © hacer cuando e-verify no confirma que una persona est autorizada para trabajar y, finalmente, cà ³mo cualquier persona puede comprobar quà © informacià ³n tiene  este programa sobre ella. Cà ³mo funciona e-verify Las empresas o los empleadores individuales pueden darse de alta y registrarse gratuitamente en la pgina oficial del Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s). Necesitan tener a mano el EIN, que es el nà ºmero federal que identifica a la empresa o al empresario. La pgina de inscripcià ³n  brinda cuatro formas de acceso, que dependen de las circunstancias de la empresa. Es importante seguir las instrucciones y darse de alta en la opcià ³n correcta. Precisamente porque puede ser confuso,  muchas empresas prefieren utilizar los servicios de compaà ±Ãƒ ­as privadas que actà ºan como agentes de e-verify. En todo caso, las empresas deben firmar electrà ³nicamente un contrato que se conoce por las iniciales de MOU (Memorndum de Entendimiento, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) y que regula el uso que se puede hacer de e-verify. Por à ºltimo, cabe destacar que e-verify solamente se puede utilizar para verificar informacià ³n sobre nuevos empleados,  nunca sobre personas que ya estn trabajando para una empresa. Quà © empresas estn obligadas a utilizar e-verify En este punto la respuesta no es fcil ni à ºnica, ya que la obligatoriedad o no de e-verify est regulada por leyes federales y estatales, lo cual tiene como una de sus consecuencias que se producen enormes diferencias entre estados. En todo caso, en la actualidad ms de un millà ³n de empresas utilizan este programa. En primer lugar,  todas las empresas pueden libre y gratuitamente utilizar el servicio de e-verify, si asà ­ lo desean, para asegurarse de que todos los empleados que contratan tienen papeles para trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos. Esto aplica a los 50 estados de la Unià ³n y tambià ©n a sus territorios, como por ejemplo Puerto Rico, aunque en este punto hay excepciones, como el caso de la Samoa americana. En cuanto a la obligacià ³n de registrarse y utilizar e-verify de acuerdo a las leyes federales, aplican varios supuestos, siendo el ms comà ºn  el que afecta a las empresas que contratan con el gobierno federal o alguna de sus agencias. En este caso, la regla general es que todas las empresas estn obligadas, a menos que aplique algunas de las excepciones, como es el caso de que el contrato entre el gobierno y la compaà ±Ãƒ ­a se extienda por menos de 120 dà ­as, o el monto de la obra o servicio sea inferior a $150.000 o que el trabajo se desarrolle en su totalidad fuera de los Estados Unidos. Asimismo, esa regla aplica en los casos de subcontrataciones y empresas afiliadas, si bien la ley permite excepciones. Pero adems existen otras reglas federales menos conocidas que  tambià ©n imponen el obligado cumplimiento de este programa. Por ejemplo, es imperativo registrase y utilizar e-verify cuando se contrata a estudiantes internacionales con visa F-1 para el programa OPT en su modalidad de extensià ³n para carreras STEM (Ciencias, Tecnologà ­a, Ingenierà ­a y Matemticas, por sus siglas en inglà ©s). En cuanto a los estados, se producen situaciones extremadamente diversas que van desde la prohibicià ³n de utilizar e-verify a nivel estatal a la obligatoriedad de utilizarlo para agencias y contratistas de los gobiernos estatales y locales, y tambià ©n para la mayorà ­a de empresas privadas, incluso en el caso de que carezcan de  relacià ³n de negocios con las administraciones pà ºblicas. Debido a la gran variedad legislativa se recomienda verificar la ley que aplica en cada estado. Este artà ­culo se limita a mencionar la situacià ³n en los siete  estados con ms poblacià ³n inmigrante y en cuyos territorios residen el 70 por ciento de los migrantes presentes en la actualidad en Estados Unidos.   Asà ­, en aplicacià ³n de la Ley de Aceleracià ³n del Empleo de 2011, en California est prohibido que las agencias estatales, las ciudades o los condados exijan a las empresas privadas el uso de e-verify. Adems, desde 2016 las empresas que utilicen e-verify pueden ser multadas con un mximo de $10.000 si utilizan la informacià ³n obtenida a travà ©s de ese sistema para una finalidad distinta a la de verificar autorizacià ³n para trabajar de una persona. En Florida, en aplicacià ³n de la Orden Ejecutiva 11-02, estn obligados a utilizar e-verify todas las empresas que presten servicios o vendan productos a agencias estatales. En Illinois la ley HB1743 permite el uso de e-verify por parte de empresas privadas pero penaliza el mal uso de la informacià ³n obtenida. Adems, la ley SB11 prohibe a agencias estatales o locales exigir el empleo de e-verify. En Nueva Jersey y en Nueva York no existen leyes ni à ³rdenes ejecutivas regulando el empleo de e-verify, por lo tanto su aplicacià ³n a nivel estatal es voluntario. En Pennsylvania, la ley SB625 requiere el uso de e-verify para todos los contratistas y subcontratistas de obras pà ºblicas por un importe superior a $25.000. En Texas, por orden ejecutiva RP-80, estn obligados a utilizar e-verify las agencias estatales y los contratistas con el estado. Adems, en aplicacià ³n de la ley SB374 las instituciones de educacià ³n superior, como por ejemplo universidades, estn obligadas a usar este sistema. Quà © hacer si e-verify emite una no confirmacià ³n tentativa (TNC) El sistema puede fallar por  contener informacià ³n errà ³nea o no actualizada. Es por ello que, ante  esa situacià ³n, el empleado tiene dos opciones. En primer lugar, aceptar la negativa, en cuyo caso el empleador dar por terminada la relacià ³n entre ambas partes. Pero, en segundo lugar, puede apelar esa decisià ³n del sistema e-verify. En este caso el empleador no puede posponer el inicio del trabajo o del entrenamiento, ni tampoco puede suspenderlo o aplazarlo si ya ha comenzado. Adems, el empleado debe contactar o bien con  el DHS o bien con la Administracià ³n de la Seguridad Social. La opcià ³n depende de lo que diga el sistema de e-verify cuando notifica la negativa. Si se debe contactar con el DHS,  el telà ©fono para marcar es el  888-897-7781  y debe hacerse dentro de los ocho dà ­as laborales siguientes a la decisià ³n de no confirmacià ³n tentativa. Deben tenerse a mano todos los datos generados por la TNC, como por ejemplo el nà ºmero de caso. Adems, debe esperarse preguntas relacionadas con cambios de estatus migratorios y las fechas en los que tuvieron lugar. Por el contrario, si se debe contactar la Administracià ³n de la Seguridad Social,  en ese caso se tiene que acudir en persona  a una de las oficinas locales dentro de los ocho dà ­as laborales siguientes a recibir la TNC. Entre los documentos que deben llevarse destacan la notificacià ³n de la no confirmacià ³n tentativa, una identificacià ³n  que muestre nombre, apellidos y edad, acreditacià ³n de la ciudadanà ­a americana, si se tiene, o de la tarjeta de residencia permanente, si ese es el caso. E-verify self-check Cualquier persona mayor de 16 aà ±os puede utilizar e-verify para comprobar  si, segà ºn las bases de datos del gobierno federal, est autorizado para trabajar en Estados Unidos. Esta opcià ³n, que se conoce popularmente como self-check y est disponible en espaà ±ol, permite corregir posibles errores que puedan aparecer en ese programa antes de solicitar empleo en una empresa por primera vez.   Documentos que permiten trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos Para finalizar, recuerda  que los documentos que permiten acreditar que se est autorizado para trabajar son cualquiera de los siguientes: Los que prueben la ciudadanà ­a estadounidenseLa tarjeta de residencia permanente, conocida tambià ©n como green cardEl permiso de trabajo (EAD, por sus siglas en inglà ©s)Una visa vigente de trabajo o de intercambio, en estos dos à ºltimos casos respetando siempre las condiciones especà ­ficas de cada visa. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

What was the larger strategic significance of the failure of the Essay

What was the larger strategic significance of the failure of the Gallipoli expedition 1915-1916 - Essay Example The result was a huge loss of manpower and resources on both the sides. The Gallipoli Expedition also known popularly as the "Dardanelles operation of 1915" is regarded as one of the major failure for the Allied forces in World War I. It affected both the Central powers as well as the Entente alike. Several lessons were learned from the expedition with the most important of them being the following Trust the instincts and act with common sense as the situation prompts while planning the attacks instead of following the bookish lessons. Trust the war tactics and the people instead of depending on the technology completely Archaic titles and birth privileges are just not enough to win the military war, but merit and true valour. The Dardanelles expedition influenced the politics of the European nations as well as the Middle East countries in many different ways. The larger strategic significance gained from the failure of the Gallipoli expedition in 1915-1916 led the Entente to reform their war tactics and win the World War I. The failure came as a hit to the Anglo-French coalition's pride. The blow awakened them literally from falling into disaster practicing their traditional war strategies. On the other hand it led to major reforms in countries like Turkey opening the gates of the democracy in the Middle East. The Gallipoli Expedition The Gallipoli expedition was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Western nations. The Anglo-French armies were largely assisted by nations like New Zealand and Australia. ANZAC or the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps played a major role in the campaign. The Entente were headed by General Sir Ian Hamilton and the Ottoman Turks were led by Kemal Pasha Ataturk. It is important to explore the reason behind the origin of the World War if we have to understand the importance of the Dardanelles expedition. The Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Australia and his wife Sophie were murdered by Serbian terrorists on 28th June 1914. Serbi a was an independent state but was annexed by the Austria in 1908 amidst great protests. The prince's ideas of reforms were quite unpopular among the elite as well the freedom movements in Serbia. There were several nationalistic movements in the country which feared the Serbs might be repressed further by the reforms as the Prince Ferdinand was next in line to throne. Hence they carried out the assassination which triggered many long standing disputes between the various major European powers. The World War I termed as the 'Great War' took nearly 20 million lives and left more than 21 million wounded (Fromkin, 1989). The causes for the origin of the war were much debated and its effects were felt for a long time in the world. Historians like Wolfgang Mommsen analyzed various reasons for the German uprising and termed it was a measure to divert the public from other issues like inequality created due to industrialization, democratization and the other core issues the average German citizen had started to question his rulers (Keiger, 1983). Each country in Europe was influenced by a different principle starting from militarism to imperialism and nationalism. Each was in direct conflict with the other. The assassination of the Archduke made them take sides. Major military Powers like the Great Britain, France and Russia joined hands on one side forming the Entente while the Germany, Austria and Hungary along with other small nations joined together on the opposite side forming the Central Powers.1 The growing power of Germany alarmed both its eastern and western neighbours the Russia and France. Hence, they formed an alliance together with the Great Britain to defend

Consumer Psychology and Buyer Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Consumer Psychology and Buyer Behavior - Essay Example It is of utmost importance for the marketer to know the behavioural patterns of the target consumers much before the product is launched. Therefore, it can be said without any doubt that the study of consumer behaviour has been the arena of constant research for a marketer. A person can be referred to as consumer if he shows his willingness to obtain goods or services from a seller with the intention of making payments. Consumer behaviour can be defined as the study of variables that determine the purchasing behaviour of any willing person to purchase any product or service. Consumer behaviour is believed to be influenced by the factors like psychology, sociology and economics apart from the product knowledge, product specifications and brand recognition. Cultural factors - The behaviour of a grown up person often depends upon the set of values, perceptions and his preferences as a child, which he acquired from his family or other influential sources. Each culture also has certain sub-cultures within it which provides more specific identification of their behaviour. A subculture includes religion, nationality, region and racial groups. A proper understanding of the implications and bearings of the sub-cultures assists the marketer to analyse the behaviours of the consumer in an effective way. Another important factor that must be taken into consideration along with the cultural factor is that of social class. Social class is indicated by a cluster of variables like occupation, wealth, income and education among other factors. Social class is a crucial variable because a person is often perceived as inferior or superior based upon the social class. It has been observed that social classes essentially differ in dress, speech, hobbies, etc. Social Factors - The social factors like reference groups, family, roles and ranks also determine the behaviour of the consumer. Reference groups are the groups that have a direct influence on the attitude of the buyer, which might affect his purchasing behaviour. Groups that have direct influence on the consumers are known as membership groups. Membership groups can be subdivided into two categories, namely primary group (which consists of family, friends and neighbours with whom the person interacts informally) and the secondary group (which calls for more formal interaction and often based upon profession or religion). The studies on consumer psychology have also shown that people often get influenced by the groups to which they are not directly related. It might take the form of an aspirational group (it is that group to which the person longs to get associated and behaves the way the group does) or a dissociative group (the consumer do not like the group and so behaves in a way so that is not same as the way the group does). The other major player among the reference group is the opinion leader. Opinion leader is a person who is believed to have a sound knowledge on a product and its usage and takes informal channel of

Different Aspects of Statistics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Different Aspects of Statistics - Research Paper Example man about his likes and dislikes. For these different methods of statistics like sampling, probability, index numbers and others are used. Different aspects of statistics There are various aspects of statistics that are used in the business and cover different areas. All those aspects differ in their use and application. From policy making to administration and from raw material to the final production and sales, from demand forecasting to the supply of the product, statistical methods are required in every kind of business. However, the fact cannot be denied that there are certain limitations of statistics as well where it cannot work however in most of the cases the use of statistics has been made possible by the renowned statisticians and policy makers. Statistics is not only used by the private entrepreneurs but also by the government entities in formulating the policies. Those include both the short term and long term policies. (Keller, 2008) Demand forecasting Demand forecastin g is an analysis about the demand of a specific product in a given locality. Many factors likewise per capital income and economic condition of the country and similar others are considered before forecasting the demand. This is mainly done by the sales and marketing departments of the entity. This enables the production department to work more effectively. The due care must be taken before doing such a forecast because if it is underestimated it means the company has lost its sales and if it is over estimated this can result in waste of resources. Therefore it is recommended that demand forecasting must be done by specialists after reviewing all the necessary information available with them. Though the forecasting is very difficult and seems impossible however if information available with the forecasters is accurate and also they possess the required skills they may forecast the demand up to almost accurate level. This makes the company competitive in the market and helps in bette r provision of services and meets the real demand of the market. Some unusual factors like seasonal changes, promotional schemes and discount for valued customers may also cause an error in accurate forecasting of demand as these would attract more customers. All such factors should also be considered before collecting any kind of data. Concept of demand forecasting can better be understood by the following example. (Keller, 2008) Example: The demand for a product in each of the last five months is shown below. Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Demand 10 13 18 27 29 26 20 We can see that demand for a specific product is increasing slowly for the first three months but there is a sudden increase in the demand in the 4th month. This may be because many factors like seasonal change, a promotional scheme or some other however demand starts decreasing from the 6th month. At the time of forecasting demand professionals consider all the factors that what would be the demand of the product in a particula r time. Decision makers then use different kinds of statistical methods which are

Western Civilization Vs their Colonies Civilization Essay

Western Civilization Vs their Colonies Civilization - Essay Example Western Civilization Vs their Colonies Civilization The main objective of this essay is to deliberate on the claim without biasness and give backing of the arguments with documented information. Other sectors argue that science and technology become the rulers of the world rather than agriculture and survival; is this civilization or modernization2. Humans have been in existence for over a million years yet civilization is only 5000 years old. According to Global Hegemony and the rise of technology3, technology becomes a necessity for economic requirements and this seems to support the claim of the western Europeans that they were more civilized. According to Carlyle, industrialization becomes the victory of man over nature. To an extent this purported claim and made the British feel superior that others and imposed their beliefs on others. As their technologies grow the European forcibly put down others civilizations if they did not agree to their ways. This put a pose or question mark on the civilization claim of the European since civilization is supposed to be a good thing why forced others. The approach of the western European to force other on civilization brought more question on their intent than purpose. The European has assisted in the transportation system, communication and other aspect of technology; however, they borrowed the concepts from others such as Asians and even some from part of Africa such as Egypt. This borrowing makes it difficult to whole heartedly give the Western European all the credits about the civilization in their colonies. Iraq, India, China, Egypt, Central America and then the Barbarian West are all credited for the civilization growth in the world. Why would Western European claim that they were more superior yet they borrowed their technologies? It is in order to conclude that they were more civilized; however, wrong to purport that others were uncivilized. The civilization the European claim so much is a bout the development of cities; however, civilization is broader than the cities and claiming technologies overtook agriculture and survival negate the definition of civilization. The above arguments do not dispute the claim that European were civilized than their colonies but emphasize the understanding of civilization. Further more, it their give a chance to reflect between civilization and modernization4. The two are clearly different one is based on technology advancement the other focuses more on the living jointly and cooperatively. A swing had happened as an effect of the industrial revolution. Asian civilizations, like China, Africa civilization, like Egypt and other civilizations, which were once considered impressive and steady5. European countries or nations viewed the earth or universe through the aspect of technology and disregarded any consideration for civilization. As their technology advanced, Europeans expanded to other nations in order to spread their superior ideas and inventions. When civilization is considered in regards to Afric a; Western European were more advanced technology wise. The European considered Africa culture as devoid of technology and primitive. If Africa had the resources as the Western or other nations would they be considered primitive? Opportunities and resources facilitated the civilization or technology advancement of the Western6. When we consider the definition of

The Concept of Human Rights Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Concept of Human Rights - Research Paper Example   Theory of human rights is explored in terms of the three generations theory suggested by Vasak. Finally, the place of human rights and various controversies related to their violations in the modern world are discussed. Human Rights Most often we hear the phrase â€Å"human rights† when someone talks about the protection of human rights in the modern world. Indeed, as Hafner-Burton & Tsutsui observe, â€Å"the protection of human rights is one of the most pressing and yet most elusive goals of the international community† (Hafner & Tsutsui, 2005, p. 1373). Claude & Weston, too, admit that the idea of human rights â€Å"has found its way around the globe†, so that every day people are reminded of its importance (Claude & Weston, 2006, p. 3). In the United States, people demand that the homeless get better condition, health insurance be fit for all, torture be brought to an end on the military bases; in Brazil and other countries, the indigenous peoples fight a gainst colonization of their lands and their dispossession; Tibetan monks resort to demonstrations to stop the Chinese from meddling with customs; Cuban people petition for just elections and free speech; the Burmese challenge enslavement practices used by the country’s government to force them construct a gas pipeline which belongs to one multinational company, etc. All these issues are classified as human rights (Claude & Weston, 2006). The fact that people all around the globe have to deal with it evidences its universal character and capacity to impact people’s aspirations. Yet, what exactly is â€Å"human rights†? This paper explores the concept of human rights in relation to its meaning, origin, history, theory, and place in the contemporary world. The Human Rights Concept The concept of human rights is based on an understanding of human rights as – literally – the rights that a person has because of being human. Hence, human rights are exerc ised universally by all people as well as they universally hold against any other person or institution. Human rights, believed to be the highest moral rights, regulate basic structures and major practices of political life; besides, in everyday situations, they are known to have an advantage over other claims of moral, political, or legal nature (Donelly, 2003, p. 1). The universality of human rights is their distinctive feature. As ideal standards, or in the word, human rights have been accepted almost in every country, since all states proclaim adherence to the international norms of human rights on a regular basis. However, these days the concept of human rights is more often spoken of in relation to human rights violations. Constant reports in the media about people becoming victims of state regimes suffer from â€Å"crimes against humanity†, injustices, and cruelties. This is the modern discourse of human rights and it is predominantly legal (Freeman, 2011, p.9). Freema n argues that legal understanding of human rights and turning them into an exclusively technical term by lawyers has led to the distortion of this concept.  Ã‚  

Theoretical Positions of Jung, Adler, and Freud Essay Example for Free

Theoretical Positions of Jung, Adler, and Freud Essay Recently, there has been a debate on the subject of a statutory minimum wage. Different parties have different point of views about it. The unionists believe setting a higher amount can help to reduce the continuously increased wealth gap in Hong Kong, but the businessmen worry that it will increase the operating costs of their businesses. I will discuss the pros and cons of a statutory minimum wage in the following paragraphs. For the advantages, firstly, a minimum wage can force employers to offer reasonable salaries to their employees and give them guidelines on how rational salaries should be set. This can help to protect employees from being exploited. Secondly, the problem of income inequality can be addressed by increasing low-income groups’ salaries so that it can help to promote social justice and greatly improve social harmony and stability. Moreover, the policy can encourage the unemployed citizens to rejoin the work force and thus reduce the burden on the government. Although there are many advantages of setting a minimum wage, there are some drawbacks too. The unemployment rate may rise after implementing the minimum wage law. Due to the increase of operating costs or production costs, some employers may lay off their staff. And it may discourage employees to improve their working attitude and skills as their wages are protected under the statutory minimum wage system, working incentive may thus become low. When we talk about the level of a statutory minimum wage, we have a lot to concerned about, for example, the economic situation, GDP etc. I think the living standard is very high in Hong Kong at present, so the level of a statutory minimum wage should be high enough to meet a family’s daily expenses. At the same time, we should also consider the financial burden on the employers. If not, laying off staff or even closing down the businesses may be the result. The government, therefore, should consider all these issues, think twice and make a wise decision. From http://www. tkp. edu. hk/newsletter/archives/2610 News Point Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung ( ) explained how the members of the Provisional Minimum Wage Commission ( ) came to be agreed on the initial statutory minimum wage rate. According to him, they considered four main criteria: 1. it should not be too low; 2. it would not cause low-paid jobs to disappear in large numbers; 3. it would not inhibit economic development; 4. it would not significantly damage Hong Kongs competitive advantages. To protect labour rights, Hong Kong may need not only minimum wage legislation but also standard working hours legislation ( ). The Legislative Council has adopted a motion to call for the enactment of such a law. To encourage underprivileged citizens and low-income employees living in remote districts to find work or stay in employment, the government launched in 2007 a pilot transport support scheme (). Under the scheme, eligible citizens have been provided with time-limited transport allowances. The Labour Department ( ) is responsible for protecting other labour rights enshrined in various pieces of labour legislation (such as the Employment Ordinance ( )). Minimum wage a issue for people to decide: Hong Kong chief Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive Donald Tsang on Friday continued to defend his decision not to legislate on the controversial minimum- wage issue in his latest Policy Address. Speaking on RTHK Friday, two days after presenting his Policy Address, Tsang said he did not want to see the issue dealt with in court as some legislators have said they would press ahead with plans to seek a judicial review after the government decided not to legislate for a minimum wage at the moment. It is a matter for the people to decide, not the courts, Tsang told a call-in radio show Friday morning. I think we should try to solve this matter amicably, in the community. Fundamentally it is not even the legislature and the government. It is a matter for the people, he added, in response to what he called a very strong union and labor voice on minimum wage. In Hong Kong, the arguments on minimum wage between the labor and the employers have lasted for many years but without consensus. The labor has always pressed ahead to legislate on minimum wage among the security and cleaners sectors in particular as soon as possible. But employers said in order to compete in a globalized economy, it is a remaining advantage for Hong Kong not to force employers to accept the deal via legislation. If this matter were pushed through the Legislative Council at the moment, Tsang said, it would be a very, very bloody fight there would be serious arguments over this, the community would be torn apart. In his policy address, Tsang proposed to launch a Wage Protection Movement for workers in the security and cleaning sectors. He promised to legislate on the minimum-wages issues two years later if the movement fails and employers are not paying market rates. ‘Hong Kong lawmakers debate minimum wage CNN 14 Jul 10 Hong Kong lawmakers resumed debate Wednesday on a bill that may result in the regions first statutory minimum wage. The Minimum Wage Bill is a controversial piece of legislation that lawmakers hope will protect the most vulnerable workers in Hong Kong, one of the few places in the world without any sort of minimum wage law. The debate is set to take two to three days. A recent government survey showed that around half a million workers in Hong Kong earn less than $4 an hour. These include low-skilled workers from the catering, retail, and cleaning industries. According to Man Hon Poon, a policy researcher at the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Union, the lack of legal protection for workers has led to serious exploitation. Workers in restaurants have to work for 12 hours or even 14 hours a day to earn a living, he said. They cannot even go to the cinema. Legislator Tommy Cheung, however, claims that the government should not interfere with the free market economy, which he says has served Hong Kong well in the past. A minimum wage could deter investors and lead to increased unemployment, said Cheung, who represents the catering industry. There is one fear within the industry, that they would have to close down, he said. When you see a closure, everyone loses out. The government first proposed the current bill in 2008 following a failed attempt at a voluntary minimum wage. Labor unions, however, have been lobbying for a minimum wage since 1998, following the Asian financial crisis. The rate of the minimum wage has also been under great debate. Trade unions have been demanding a minimum wage of $4 while employer groups have been asking for $3 per hour. If the bill passes this week, the rate of the minimum wage will be set by the Minimum Wage Commission, a consortium of trade union members, employers and scholars, in the coming months. Once the chief executive approves the rate, employers will have six months to implement the law. The Hong Kong government estimates that the earliest the minimum wage law may take effect is May 2011. http://edition. cnn. com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/07/14/china. hong. kong. minimum. wage/index. html? hpt=T2fbid=cFYYtTV0ap3 The Minimum Wage: An Unfair Advantage for Employers October 1989 †¢ Volume: 39 †¢ Issue: 10 †¢ Print This Post †¢ 1 comment Professor Boudreaux teaches economics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Suppose you want to help the sellers of a specific product. One thing you might want to do is try to ensure that a buyers’ market for that good or service isn’t created. A buyers’ market is an economic situation that favors buyers over sellers. For example, everyone hopes that the real-estate market in his hometown will be a sellers’ market when the time comes to sell his house. No one wants to have to sell a house when real estate is in a buyers’ market. Nevertheless, people who advocate mini- mum-wage legislation to improve the lot of unskilled workers in effect support government creation of a buyers’ market as a way to help sellers of unskilled labor. Freely Moving Prices: The Great Equalizer Economics and common sense teach us that, other things being equal, as the price of a product rises, more units will be offered for sale but fewer units will be demanded by consumers. If a price is too low, there will be an excess demand for the good or service in question, and buyers will compete for the limited quantities available by offering higher prices to sellers. If a price is too high, there will be an excess supply, and sellers (who cannot sell all that they wish at the high price) will compete for customers by offering lower prices. So long as there are no government-imposed restrictions on prices, prices will tend to adjust in each market so that the quantities demanded will be equal to the quantities supplied. It is important to realize that prices change only when there are bargaining inequalities between buyers and sellers. Prices rise only when the amount demanded by buyers is greater than the amount supplied by sellers; prices fall only when the amount demanded by buyers is less than the amount supplied by sellers. Put another way, prices rise only when there is a sellers’ market, and prices fall only when there is a buyers’ market. The rise or fall of prices, however, eliminates the inequality of supply and demand and, thus, eliminates the conditions that people describe as sellers’ markets and buyers’ markets. Freedom of price adjustments ensures equality of bargaining power among buyers and sellers. Freely moving prices are the great equalizer. Employers compete for human labor services, like most things of value in a society based on private property in a market in which sellers and buyers engage in voluntary exchanges. Wage rates (in combination with other forms of compensation) are determined in the labor market. If this market isn’t hampered by government, wages will constantly adjust so employers and employees enjoy equal bargaining power. Of course, unskilled workers aren’t as productive as workers with greater skills, and so wage rates for skilled labor tend to be higher than wages for unskilled labor. It is a myth, however, that highly skilled workers enjoy greater bargaining power with employers than do workers with fewer skills. If wage rates are free to adjust to their market-clearing levels, unskilled workers will enjoy as much bargaining power as the most highly skilled workers, because freely moving wage rates adjust so that the amount of each type of labor demanded will tend to equal the amount supplied. Employers can have no bar gaining advantage over even the most unskilled workers if wage rates are free to move to the levels at which the amount of labor services demanded is equal to the amount supplied by workers. Freely moving wage rates are the great equalizer of bargaining positions among employers and employees. The Minimum Wage: The Great Unequalizer Minimum-wage legislation prohibits wages from falling low enough to equate the number of people seeking jobs with the number of jobs being offered. As a result, the supply of unskilled labor permanently exceeds the demand for’ unskilled labor at the government-mandated minimum wage. Minimum-wage legislation thus creates a buyers’ market for unskilled labor. And as in all buyers’ markets, buyers (employers) have an unequal bargaining advantage over sellers (unskilled workers). Consider, for example, a grocer. Suppose he decides that a clean parking lot will attract more customers, and that this will increase his sales by $10 per day. Of course, the grocer will pay no more than $10 a day to have his parking lot cleaned. He then investigates how best to get this done. Suppose there are two options available to him. One way is to hire a fairly skilled worker who can clean the parking lot in one hour, while the second way is to hire two unskilled workers who, working together, will get the job done in the same time. Other things being equal, the grocer will make his decision based upon the relative cost of skilled versus unskilled labor. Let’s assume the skilled worker will charge $6 an hour, while each of the unskilled workers will charge $2. 50 an hour. In a free labor market, the grocer will hire the two unskilled workers be-cause, in total, it costs him $5 per hour for the unskilled workers whereas it would cost $6 for the one skilled worker. But what will the grocer do if a minimum wage of $4 per hour is imposed? To hire the two unskilled workers will now cost him a total of $8 an hour. The skilled worker now becomes the better bargain at $6 an hour. Minimum-wage legislation strips unskilled workers of their one bargaining chip: the willingness to work at a lower wage than that charged by workers with more skills. The result is unemployment of the unskilled workers. Consider another effect of the minimum wage. Because there are more people who want jobs at the minimum wage rate than there are jobs to go around, employers have little incentive to treat unskilled workers with respect. If an employer mistreats an unskilled worker, the employer need not be concerned if the worker quits. After all, there are plenty of unemployed unskilled workers who can be hired to fill positions vacated by workers who quit. In addition, the permanent buyers’ market created by the minimum wage encourages employers to discriminate in their hiring and firing decisions on the basis of sex, race, religion, and so on. Suppose an employer has two minimum-wage jobs available, but there are ten unskilled workers who apply for the jobs. Bemuse the workers are prohibited from competing with each other on the basis of wage rates, other factors must determine which of the workers will be hired. If the employer dislikes blacks, and if there are at least two non-black workers who have applied for employment, no black workers will be hired. With a surplus of unskilled workers, there is no economic incentive to stop this bigoted employer from indulging his prejudices. Conclusion Minimum-wage legislation creates an excess supply of unskilled labor and gives the buyers of unskilled labor an unfair bargaining advantage over the sellers of unskilled labor. It is a fantasy to believe that the welfare of unskilled workers can be improved by such legislation. Unskilled workers shouldn’t be restricted to a permanent buyers’ market. Hong Kong Sets Minimum Wage At HK$28 Per Hour The citys new minimum wage finally has been released. The HK$28/hour base is roughly the cost of two cartons of milk, a fast food meal or four premium beers. Secretary for Labor and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said the new wage, set to come into effect May 1 if it passes the legislature, represented an average wage increase of 16. 9 percent affecting some 314,600 employees. The cost will be roughly HK$3. 3 billion. Tabled for discussion at the Legislative Council Wednesday, the new wage was a milestone in the protection of the rights of low-income workers and a hard-won achievement given the controversy amid the citys laissez faire system, Chief Executive Donald Tsang said. To offset the impact on the labor market, the Labor Department will improve employment services for the young, middle-aged and those with disabilities, he added. By the Minimum Wage Commissions estimates, the new minimum wage amounts to 48 percent of Hong Kongs median hourly wage during the second quarter of 2009. More than half (61. 4 percent) of the more than 314,000 workers expected to benefit from the new minimum wage are women. A quarter of those who will benefit are over the age of 65 and 18 percent work in a part-time capacity, Cheung said. On a sector basis, 35. 5 percent of workers are from security and cleaning companies while 19 percent work in restaurants and 16 percent in retail. Cheung said the impact on employment will be relatively mild, especially when viewed against the improving economic and labor market conditions. Shying away from commenting on concerns that employers would start cutting back on employee benefits to offset increases in costs due to the new wage, Cheung urged employers to communicate closely with their employees, particularly to have frank discussions [and to] work together. Unionist lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan said he was disappointed with the rate saying it will be based on figures two years old before its implementation, adding HK$28 an hour was not enough to provide for a family. He favored the HK$33 an hour rate supported by employee groups. Commission chairwoman Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah said the commission does not think a HK$33 hourly rate was sustainable. She noted, half the burden would eat into company profits while the number of companies falling into the red would go up by 60 percent. She added those companies employed 120,000 workers. Catering lawmaker Tommy Cheung Yu-yan said the new wage would be difficult for smaller operators to bear, calling for government relief such as the waiver of licenses fees for one year and subsidies (RTTNews) Hong Kong will implement its first minimum wage rate, set at HK$28 per hour, from next year, the Secretary for Labor and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said Wednesday. The initial statutory minimum wage rate at 3. 61 per hour in U.S dollar terms will come into force on May 1, 2011. The rate was higher than that demanded by business, and less than the HK$33 favored by trade unions. Cheung said that the statutory minimum wage, which is totally new to Hong Kong, is intended to protect grassroots workers and ensure that the pay that they get is commensurate with the hours worked. Regarding the wage rate, Chief Executive Donald Tsang said that it has been a subject of controversy and it is also a milestone in our protection of the rights of low-income workers. The minimum wage ordinance notice 2010 will be published in the Gazette on November 12 and tabled at the Legislative Council on November 17. About 314,600 or 11. 3% of Hong Kongs employees will be effected by the change, with 61. 4% being women staff, 25. 3% employees aged 55 and above, and 18. 8% part-time workers, the governments information service department said. In July, Hong Kongs Legislative Council passed the Minimum Wage Bill without stipulating the actual wage and thereafter formed a committee to set the minimum rate.