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Minimum wage workers unlikely to see pay increase in the next year

"First Paycheck" by ANguyenPhoto is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

The state says an increase in the minimum wage is unlikely for next year.

Right now, the minimum hourly wage in Michigan, is 9 dollars and 65 cents an hour.

A law passed in 2018 sets an increase in the minimum wage every year through 2030, but only if the state’s annual unemployment rate is below 8.5 %

The massive jump in unemployment in the Spring will almost certainly keep the state from hitting the 8.5 percent threshold before the end of the year.

So, people in minimum wage jobs will have to wait until January 2022 for another pay increase. The rate is set to increase from 9.65 to 9.87 an hour if next year’s annual unemployment rate is below 8.5 percent.

Dustin Dwyer reports enterprise and long-form stories from Michigan Public's West Michigan bureau.