There are studies that show that increasing the minimum wage actually increases profits and only has negible effects on unemployment. Why? Because lower income households tend to spend their money keeping the income flowing inside the economy. a bigger profit turn, means more volumes, of which along the SCM gets a better markup. The more you sell, the more you can make per item sold, meaning that it is worth the upcost of paying a worker more, if you have a whole lower class who are good capitalist consumers who can buy and afford shit even when its not black friday.
Think of it this way; when you beat your poorest half to death, the horse is not good at being a good capitalistic horse and buy fancy new horse shoes and horse trousers. It cannot afford new saddles either. It's also not a good because its overworked. It gets more easily sicked, has a lower level of happiness which hurts the horses productivity.
But lets throw out the horse analogy, and just engage in what if; What if it increased the unemployment wage substantially?
The solidarity, and compassion you should have for your fellow man is what gives them a chance, and reduces their chances of becoming sick or turning to desperation, self harm or even crime. All those things end up costing society massively in other ways along the line. Treat the wound while it is fresh, not when it is a open cyst that needs amputation of the entire limb.
When a population has become too used to a certain commodity level and cheap prices they will resist any reduction on their quality of life. No higher taxes, no higher prices, no gas tax. They are for solidarity and progressive values as long as they can still trample people half to death as they march for the impossible sales!111
At some point someone has to pick up the tab, and its going to suck for that generation, but that is how it is.
Right now the entire Greek people is paying a massive price because the previous administrations and rich elite basically was all like "fuck you got mine". Now their quality of living is severely hurt and everyone suffers.
If you want to have more economic stability, security and better efficient public systems you have to reduce the strain in the lowest classes.
This really is a issue of where helping the lower class benefits everyone.
If you're making 15 now, once the minimum wage hits 15, your pay will adjust to a higher wage, and those who have that will have theirs go up, and so it is. We're masterminds at making a hierarchy and its one of the things that is good about our monetary reward structure- It's easy to give bread based on who deserves more and who does not.