Nevada’s lowest-paid workers will soon see a larger paycheck when the state’s minimum wage reaches about $11.25 an hour, all while many jobs continue to offer starting rates beyond that.
The scheduled increase on July 1 is a result of Assembly Bill 456, passed in 2019, which dictates that the state’s minimum wage rises in 75-cent increments until July 2024. The law includes a two-tier system that offers a lower wage to employees with qualifying health benefits. This year, those workers will receive a minimum hourly wage of $10.25.
It’s also the last year of such a two-tiered system after roughly 55 percent of voters in November 2022 approved a constitutional amendment setting a $12 minimum wage. That will go into effect July 1, 2024.
The increases come at a time of continued wage inflation. Many of the typical minimum wage jobs are paying several dollars more because of the intense competition for workers since the pandemic’s lockdowns were lifted.
“If you drive by a fast food restaurant they’re offering sometimes $15 to $20 (starting wages),” said Tray Abney, Nevada state director for the National Federation of Independent Businesses. “The market has driven that. They have to offer that to anyone to get them to work for them. “
Abney said some of the state chapter’s roughly 2,000 members are bracing themselves for higher wage costs in the future. Most of the members, whose businesses typically employ less than 10 people, are prepared for the upcoming changes because of...
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