State minimum wage climbs to $11 an hour

Effective today, Arkansans making the state minimum wage will receive a $1 per hour pay increase under an initiated act passed in 2018.

Arkansas businesses must now pay employees no less than $11 an hour, marking the final step of a three-year phase-in that began in 2019. Before then, the state's minimum wage was $8.50 per hour.

The wage increase amounts to a $40 per week raise, before any taxes or other deductions, for employees who work 40 hours a week at minimum wage. Minimum-wage earners in Arkansas will make up to $440 a week.

The change comes in the midst of economic uncertainty brought on by the worst pandemic in 100 years. Supporters say the $1 increase comes at the perfect time, when many families are struggling to make ends meet.

Read more: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/jan/01/state-minimum-wage-climbs-to-11-an-hour/?news-arkansas