HELENA – A lot of Montanans stand to get a pay raise on Friday when the state’s minimum wage is scheduled to increase another 35 cents.
The increase comports with a jump in the federal minimum wage to $7.25 per hour. It is the final increase of three increases set by the Federal government back in 2007.
Montana also adjusts its minimum wage for inflation annually based on the Consumer Price Index, with the new rate implemented each January.
The state Department of Labor says that about 9 percent of the work force received hourly wages less than $7.25 per hour in 2008.
It says that minimum wage workers tend to be young workers employed in the accommodations and food service industry, or workers living away from populated areas.