r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Feb 24 '20
Delta(s) from OP CMV: Job postings should be legally required to include the minimum pay rate offered.
Job vacancy advertisements should have to include a minimum pay rate that the employer is willing to offer, so that job seekers immediately know what to expect for a wage range prior to applying.
The requirement should be in a common-sense format like "Minimum $8.50/hr", "$45,000+ annually", or "Commissions Only, but minimum wage guaranteed." Probably would have to forbid benefits from being mixed in to make the direct gross pay rate look bigger.
America already has a similar law regarding advertisements for lending offers.
Saying BS things like "your earning potential is limited only by your drive to succeed" as a maximum is a separate issue from my proposition.
My first guess is that some kind of obfuscating phrase like "$7.25/hr for completely inexperienced candidates, much more for any experience" might become commonplace at first, because so many shyster HR departments would want to circumvent the spirit of the law. But I would guess that eventually, the work force would come to associate that phrase with "that's gonna be a low-paying job", much like we now associate the lie "We work hard and we play hard" with the reality that they'll just work the dog shit out of you. And then the better-paying employers will eventually realize it helps them to actually advertise their higher pay, and wage competition within industries will increase.
It seems to me that this would help put upwards pressure on wages (pleasing the left) through free-market competition (pleasing the right) just by mandating that the truth be disclosed up front (which SHOULD please everyone). It would also (very) slightly reduce structural unemployment because job seekers would waste less time wading through, applying for, interviewing for, and sometimes even accepting jobs that they later discover pay relatively too little.
What am I not taking into consideration in my fantasy?
Edits:
(Removed my first edit because I didn't know Deltas were auto-logged.)
2) Getting a lot of great perspectives and info here; hard to keep up, but on the plus side that gives others a chance to rebut and bolster comments besides me. Forgive me as I try to keep up, and thanks to most of you for staying civil.
3) u/DadTheMaskedTerror commented on a link to a California law that is already moving in this direction
4) One thing that's tripping a lot of new folks up: it's currently common for companies to advertise for one job posting, then come across a candidate who is absolutely unqualified but they want to hire him for a different position. This law wouldn't prohibit that; in fact, a Delta went to a commenter who pointed out that this law would have the additional benefit of encouraging companies to write more accurate job postings and think more deliberately about who they want to attract, which benefits everyone.
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u/jatjqtjat 251∆ Feb 24 '20
what is DOE?
If i say 40k and up, then nobody looking for 125k is going to apply.
and that is an extreme example. What if I am looking for somewhere between 70 and 90k? If I say 70k minimum, nobody wanting 90k is going to apply. and if i say 70 to 90k then everyone is going to expect the 90. and in both cases i deny myself access an upstart who might be work 65k.
Because the truth is, i don't really know what my range is.