$15 an Hour Is New Reality for Some Employers

Although the federal minimum wage is still $7.25 ($8.80 in Ohio), the norm for many employers has become $15 an hour, according to LinkedIn. The AP writes that at ZipRecruiter, the number of $15-an-hour job postings on the site has more than doubled since 2019. Meanwhile, “many of the unemployed, buoyed by stimulus checks and expanded jobless aid, feel able to hold out for higher pay.”

Bloomberg Businessweek notes the pay increases are happening without legislative battles as some employers like Amazon are “boosting starting pay to $18 an hour.” The publication notes that “if it persists, the upward pressure on wages may wind up feeding into consumer price inflation.”

About half of small businesses reported raising prices since June, according to an August survey by the National Federation of Independent Business. 9/16/2021