On January 1st, Washington Minimum Wage Increased to $16.28. Several cities are even higher, including Seattle at $19.97, SeaTac at $19.71, Tukwila at $20.29, and Renton at $20.29.
The Washington legislature passed a phased increase to the minimum wage that took effect on January 1st, 2016. Each year, L&I is required to make a cost-of-living adjustment to the minimum wage based on the CPI-W. This resulted in a 75% increase over the past 10 years.
Although the minimum wage rate does not directly impact us, it does indirectly. Nationally, only 1.4% of workers earn minimum wage. We have always paid above minimum wage for our entry-level positions. Our work is more demanding, requiring additional effort and training compared to most traditional minimum wage jobs. Our current entry-level wage is $20.00, and our average wage is $22.77. These figures have increased by 82% over the past 10 years and by 19% over the past 3 years, driven by historically low unemployment levels and a strong economy. Seattle area unemployment is sitting at 4.5%.
|