March 16, 2017

Maine employment reaches all time high after minimm wage increase

Maine Beacon - Average hourly earnings for private-sector Maine workers increased to $22.70 an hour and total employment increased to an all-time high, with a gain of more than 4,000 seasonally-adjusted jobs from December.

Significant employment gains were seen among Maine’s restaurants and hotels, with the accommodation and food service sector gaining 700 jobs.

Maine’s minimum wage increased from $7.50 to $9 an hour in January, with the sub-minimum base wage for workers who receive tips, like restaurant servers, increasing from $3.75 to $5 an hour. The minimum wage will continue to increase on an annual basis until it reaches $12 an hour in 2020. The tipped wage will reach $12 in 2024.

1 comment:

Jerry S said...

Classic trickle up. Increase demand potential at the lower end of the economy and the increased aggregate demand will drive an increase in supply requiring more workers. That is the opposite result that a supply side "economist" would predict.