What are some of the factors that render the Seattle study inconclusive, according to the memo? An economic boom in Seattle may have caused some low-waged workers to become "high-wage workers", decreasing measured employment among low-wage workers. The sample size used in the study was too small to produce statistically significant results. The study doesn't include large firms, which perhaps can accommodate higher wages better than small firms. The comparison areas-cities that did not implement a rise in the minimum wage-were disimilar to Seattle inkey respects