We know that the minimum wage causes unemployment. So, why does the government impose a minimum wage?

What will be an ideal response?

The main reason for the minimum wage is because its supporters outnumber its opponents. Some supporters, such as labor unions, have a self-interested motivation for seeing a high minimum wage. A high minimum wage increases the cost of low-skilled labor, which is a substitute for high-skilled union labor. Hence firms decrease the quantity of low-skilled labor they demand and increase their demand for union labor, thereby increasing the employment and wages of union labor. Other supporters point to the fact that the minimum wage helps raise the incomes of low-skilled workers who retain jobs. Also, if the demand and supply of low-skilled workers is inelastic, the resulting unemployment will be low and so supporters might believe that helping some low-skilled workers is worth harming others.