Dr. Paul Redmond:

We do not know if people are choosing this situation or whether it is being imposed on them by employers. Therefore, we must be careful what we say. In the most recent report, we highlighted that it seems the minimum wage increase was large enough to offset the reduction in wages. Whether that can be viewed as a positive thing is another question. Just because it was large enough to keep workers' wages flat may not mean it is a desirable outcome either.