Changes to Missouri’s Minimum Wage Law Confirmed

 Changes to Missouri’s Minimum Wage Law Confirmed

Effective January 1, 2009, Minimum Hourly Wage Increases from $6.65 to $7.05 per Hour

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Effective January 1, 2009, Missourians can expect to see an increase to the minimum wage rate. Beginning the first of the year, the state’s minimum hourly wage will increase by

40 cents from $6.65 to $7.05 per hour.

“In August, the Department released preliminary data projecting an increase to Missouri’s minimum wage by 40 cents,” said Todd Smith, Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DOLIR) Director. “A review of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for July 2008 confirms the Missouri minimum wage rate will increase to $7.05 effective January 1, 2009,” Smith added.

Missouri’s minimum wage law requires the DOLIR Director to determine on September 30, 2008, any required adjustments to the minimum wage earnings based on changes in the CPI. The confirmed rate change announced today is based on a 6.0 percent change in the CPI between July 2007 and July 2008. The minimum wage law applies to all businesses/employees that are not specifically exempted.

For questions pertaining to Missouri’s minimum wage law please call the Department’s Division of Labor Standards at (573) 751-3403 or visit http://www.dolir.mo.gov/LS/minimumwage/index.asp.