$15 Wage Becoming a Norm as Employers Struggle to Fill Jobs

Courtesy of Peter Schmeck

WASHINGTON (AP) — The signs and banners are dotted along suburban commercial strips and hanging in shop windows and restaurants, evidence of a new desperation among America’s service-industry employers: “Now Hiring, $15 an hour.”

It is hardly the official federal minimum wage — at $7.25, that level hasn’t been raised since 2009 — but for many lower-skilled workers, $15 an hour has increasingly become a reality.

Businesses, particularly in the restaurant, retail and travel industries, have been offering up a $15 wage to try to fill enough jobs to meet surging demand from consumers who are increasingly traveling, shopping, attending entertainment events and eating out.

The minimum wage in Massachusetts is $13.50.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, The Associated Press
About Grady Culhane

Grady Culhane is a Cape Cod native from Eastham. He studied media communications at Cape Cod Community College and joined the CapeCod.com News Center in 2019.



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