MOVING UP - THE TRAINING AND WAGE GAINS OF MINIMUM-WAGE ENTRANTS

Training and wage advancement of minimum-wage workers are central issues in debates over ''good versus bad jobs.'' This paper addresses these issues by tracking the employment experiences of youth who entered the labor market in 1980 at the minimum wage (or less). The evidence suggests that youth who start out at minimum wages do receive less initial training. They are not ''trapped'' in a low-wage orbit, however; their post-entry wage gains are substantial, both in the absolute and relative to non-minimum-wage entrants.