Connecticut’s minimum wage is scheduled to increase from the current rate of $9.15 an hour to $9.60 per hour on January 1, 2016.
The change is the second in a series of three scheduled increases under the adopted legislation, which will ultimately see the state’s minimum wage increase to $10.10 on January 1, 2017.
“Nobody who works full-time should live in poverty. Connecticut has been a leader in promoting a higher hourly wage. It is a modest increase that will give working families a boost while also having stimulative economic effects,” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a statement.
The new minimum wage equals an annual salary of $19,968. That would put the salary at 36 percent of Connecticut’s median income of $55,220.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a July survey by the Small Business Majority shows that three out of five small business owners with employees support gradual increases in the minimum wage, the governor’s office said. The survey reports that small business owners believe an increase will put more money in the pocket of low-wage workers, who will then spend that money on items such as housing and food, which will help stimulate the economy.
The Connecticut minimum wage rates for service employees, specifically restaurant and hotel staff, are determined by using a formula that takes tip deductions into account. The rates can be found on the state Department Labor’s website or by contacting the Labor Department’s Division of Wage and Workplace Standards at (860) 263-6790.
