What is a characteristic of two-tier wage systems?

A two-tier wage system is designed to differentiate pay based on the tenure and experience of workers within an organization. When new hires are placed on a different pay scale that is lower than that of experienced workers, it creates a tiered structure. This allows companies to manage labor costs, especially during times of financial strain or restructuring, while still retaining valuable, experienced employees who command higher wages due to their skills and contributions.

In this system, new employees are often compensated at a lower rate to reflect their lack of experience and the time they have not yet spent contributing to the organization. As a result, this approach encourages loyalty among longer-serving employees, who enjoy higher wages as recognition for their service and experience.

In contrast, options that suggest new hires receive more pay than experienced workers or equal pay for all workers disregard the fundamental premise of a two-tier wage system. Similarly, basing pay solely on performance without regard to seniority also deviates from the primary characteristic of establishing differences in compensation based on time with the organization.