Delaware starts raising its minimum wage toward $15 an hour

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The minimum wage in the state of Delaware will be increasing from $9.25 per hour to $10.50 per hour.

The News Journal reports that the bump in pay takes effect Saturday. State lawmakers had passed a bill in June to raise the minimum wage by more than $1 each year until it makes it to $15 an hour. That’s expected to happen in 2025. Delaware is joined by 20 other states that also are raising their minimum wages. State labor officials say that about 55,000 people in Delaware make $10 an hour or less. Some business owners say the pay hike will increases consumer spending.

But others say businesses can’t afford to boost pay after struggling through the pandemic.

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