According to the US Department of Labor in 2012, "3.6 million workers earned wages at or below the federal minimum wage standard." The minimum wage is a social problem that affects millions of people. There are several reasons why the minimum wage should be increased and it would affect the whole country more positively. The government should increase the minimum wage because the current minimum wage is not enough for living expenses, helps reduce the number of those receiving government assistance and would help boost the economy. I remember my first real work experience, it was my first year in college and the first week I got a job in one of the canteens on campus. While I received some financial aid, it wasn't enough to cover all of my expenses, which included books, some of my coursework, mandatory dorm expenses (think of it as rent), and anything else I needed for school. I worked thirty to forty hours a week, for seven dollars and twenty-five cents an hour, all while going to school full time. I barely earned enough to live on and that would still cut me short for a few months. The government should raise the minimum wage to what some call a “living wage.” The current minimum wage is hurting those who are doing their best to support themselves and, if they have any, their families. Based on studies and a cost of living index from the 2010 census, Benefits of Raising the Minimum Wage, composed a life setting of an individual trying to support a family on the minimum wage. “The average worker, working two hundred and fifty days and forty hours a week, will earn about fourteen thousand five hundred dollars a year at the minimum wage…Monthly expenses do not even come close to covering the cost of living in most areas.” If the f... middle of the paper... because by increasing the minimum wage you also increase consumers' spending possibilities. With a higher minimum wage and people able to afford and pay living expenses, they have more income to spend elsewhere. People tend to spend more if they have the money to do so, which contributes to GDP, which helps boost economic recovery. There are so many benefits that can be gained with a higher minimum wage. It affects not only those who receive it, but the community and government as a whole. The government should raise the minimum wage because the current minimum wage is not enough for living expenses, helps reduce the number of those receiving government assistance, and would help boost the economy. This gives those earning minimum wage not only the ability to support themselves and their loved ones, but also the dignity in doing so..