Omaha area employers say tight labor market is pushing up wages

Some workers are benefiting more than others, but employers across several industries said wages are on the rise as they compete to hire from a tightening labor pool.

Cubby’s, the Omaha-based regional chain of convenience stores, bumped its starting pay to $10 an hour from $9 a few years ago, and said the average wage at the company has risen 17 percent over the past four years for its 625 workers.

Wages may keep rising: “It seems to be heading higher,” President De Lone Wilson said. Cubby’s gives merit raises but not regular cost-of-living raises.

At $10, Cubby’s sees plenty of applications at Omaha-area stores but sometimes struggles to staff stores in rural areas with smaller labor pools.

Read more: http://www.omaha.com/money/omaha-area-employers-say-tight-labor-market-is-pushing-up/article_3bf4f8fa-3b5a-5116-95d8-0318ed6a0d38.html