Happy New Year!
We’re looking forward to another great year together. We appreciate your continued business and are here to help in any way we can to make it easier for you to run your business and manage your employees. Don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s something more we can do to simplify your
business operations.
Minimum Wage Increases
In 2021, many national retailers raised their minimum pay rates in response to labor shortages and challenges faced by those on the frontlines of the pandemic. This year, over half of the states in the U.S. will increase the minimum wage. Although the federal minimum wage is $7.25, most states have a higher minimum wage in place.
Of the 26 states that plan to raise the minimum wage in 2022, 22 of them implemented the increase on January 1, 2022. See below for a list of the 26 states and the new minimum wage for each.
- Arizona: $12.80 per hour (up from $12.15)
- California: $15 per hour for businesses with 26+ employees, $14 per hour for businesses with fewer than 25 employees
- Colorado: $12.56 per hour (up from $12.32)
- Connecticut: $13 per hour, then $14 per hour on July 1, 2022
- Delaware: $10.50 per hour (up from $9.25), will continue to increase to reach $15 per hour by 2025
- Florida: $10 per hour (up from $8.65), will continue to increase to reach $15 per hour by 2026
- Illinois: $12 per hour (up from $11), will continue to increase to reach $15 per hour by 2025
- Maine: $12.75 per hour (up from $12.15)
- Massachusetts: $14.25 per hour (up from $13.50)
- Michigan: $9.87 per hour (up from $9.65)
- Minnesota: $10.33 per hour (up from $10.08), only applies to large employers with specific annual gross sales volume numbers
- Missouri: $11.15 per hour (up from $10.30), will continue to increase to reach $12 per hour by 2023
- Montana: $9.20 per hour (up from $8.75)
- Nevada: $9.75 per hour for employees who do not receive health benefits, increasing to $10.50 on July 1, 2022. $8.75 per hour for employees who do receive health benefits, increasing to $9.50 on July 1.
- New Jersey: $13 per hour (up from $12), some exclusions apply
- New Mexico: $11.50 per hour (up from $10.50), will continue to increase to reach $12 per hour by 2023
- New York: $15 per hour in New York City and Westchester, Suffolk, and Nassau counties, $12.50 per hour in other areas of the state
- Ohio: $9.30 per hour (up from $8.80)
- Oregon: $14 per hour in Metro Portland area, to increase to $14.75 on July 1, 2022. Other rural (non-urban) areas: $12 per hour, to increase to $12.50 on July 1. The rest of the state: $12.75 per hour, to increase to $13.50 on July 1.
- Pennsylvania: $7.25 per hour, $14 per hour for employees under governor’s jurisdiction
- Rhode Island: $12.25 per hour (up from $11.50), will continue to increase to reach $15 per hour by 2025.
- South Dakota: $9.95 per hour (up from $9.45)
- Vermont: $12.55 per hour (up from $11.75)
- Virginia: $11 per hour (up from $9.50), will continue to increase to reach $15 per hour by 2026
- Washington: $14.49 per hour (for employees over the age of 18), $12.32 per hour (for employees under the age of 16)
Hot Topics in Human Resources for 2022
Here’s a sneak peek into some of the hot topics for human resources professionals this year:
- Attracting and retaining top talent
- Connecting to employees
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion
