If labor is labor should everyone be paid the same? Edit: age matters for a number of reasons, as employees gain more experience they become more valuable and

If labor is labor should everyone be paid the same? Edit: age matters for a number of reasons, as employees gain more experience they become more valuable and take on more responsibility. Also the amount of money a person needs as they get older usually increases (care for children and possibly their own parents etc). Earning minimum wage at 21 is very different than being 41 on minimum wage. Often businesses hire young staff as an investment, they are untrained and at first add no value and this is reflected in the wages. However as they progress they earn more (certainly true of me I started on a really low salary , barely minimum wage).