minimum wage
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minimum wage
The legally established lowest wage that must be paid to employees per unit of time, usually per hour.
Die Regierung hat beschlossen, den gesetzlichen Mindestlohn zu erhöhen.
The government has decided to raise the statutory minimum wage.
'Mindestlohn' (minimum wage) is a compound noun made up of 'mindest-' (derived from 'mindestens' (at least)) and 'Lohn' (wage). So it literally means the wage that one must receive at a minimum.
Viele Studierende arbeiten für den Mindestlohn.
Many students work for minimum wage.
In political and economic contexts, 'Mindestlohn' (minimum wage) is often used with verbs such as 'einführen' (to introduce), 'erhöhen' (to increase), 'anheben' (to raise), or 'fordern' (to demand).
Die Gewerkschaften fordern, den Mindestlohn deutlich zu erhöhen.
The unions are demanding that the minimum wage be raised significantly.
Since the minimum wage is a legal regulation, it is very often referred to as 'gesetzlicher Mindestlohn' (statutory minimum wage). This combination is very typical.
Der gesetzliche Mindestlohn gilt für fast alle Arbeitnehmer in Deutschland.
The statutory minimum wage applies to almost all employees in Germany.
hourly wage
'der Mindestlohn' and 'der Stundenlohn' both have to do with pay for work, especially money per hour. The difference is important: 'Mindestlohn' is the legal lower limit. Normally, you may not pay less than that. 'Stundenlohn' is simply the amount someone receives for one hour of work. This amount can be exactly the minimum wage, but it can also be higher. Learners easily confuse the words because both are often given in euros per hour. Memory tip: every 'Mindestlohn' is a 'Stundenlohn' as a limit, but not every 'Stundenlohn' is the 'Mindestlohn'.
Der Mindestlohn gilt auch für viele Minijobs.
The minimum wage also applies to many mini-jobs.
Mein Stundenlohn ist nach der Probezeit gestiegen.
My hourly wage went up after the probationary period.