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How might a $15 minimum wage might affect the current (engineering) internship system? Almost every non-software engineer I know earned $15, or marginally more
by joey_bob 7y ago
How might a $15 minimum wage might affect the current (engineering) internship system?
Almost every non-software engineer I know earned $15, or marginally more, during undergraduate for internships related to their field. If minimum wage jobs are price-competitive with an internship, what is the impact? Will large employers of engineers raise internship pay? Will they continue to hire as many interns?
- gwright 7y agoI don't think engineering internships are price-competitive with minimum wage jobs. So I wouldn't expect any direct impact. Perhaps an indirect impact though, especially if the company overall is dependent on minimum wage labor in other areas (i.e. the business is less profitable and so overall budgets change to address the changed business model). So that might show up as 1 intern vs. 2, for example. Another example of how an increased minimum wage might reduce overall job openings.
- NotSammyHagar 7y ago$15/hour would be unlikely to have any impact on engineering internship wages, it's far too low. $15/hr is $31k per annum. 20 years ago we paid interns a pro rated wage higher than that! Today we pay our interns a pro-rated wage over 80k at the startup where I work. Are there any engineering interns paid such low wages in the western world? Double or trip $15 and you might have some impact.
- cr1895 7y ago>Are there any engineering interns paid such low wages in the western world? Yes, absolutely: your experience is certainly not everyone's. The 80k salary for an intern sounds nuts to me...in the Netherlands, interns in my engineering field usually make less than minimum wage. Usually it's a few hundred euros per month. Most full-time, experienced engineers in the entire country earn a whole lot less than $80k.