The labor market is struggling to emerge from the crisis, with hundreds of thousands of new requests for unemployment benefits each week and aid from the federal government delayed, but there is good news for some workers in the country.
A score of states will increase
their minimum wage
as of this Friday, January 1
, some by pennies and others by a dollar or more, to try to equate earnings with the cost of living.
In
New Mexico
, the minimum wage will rise to $ 10.50, 1.50 more than the current one, a CNN tally indicates.
In
California
, employers with more than 26 workers or more will have to pay a wage of $ 14 per hour, a dollar more than until now.
It is the highest state-based salary in the country.
In contrast,
Florida
only gives a raise of nine cents.
[Aid check increase to $ 2,000 does not advance in the Senate]
At the federal level, the minimum wage remains at the same level as in 2009: $ 7.25 per hour.
There are 20 states that establish a minimum payment of this value or less in 2021.
Millions of families at risk of being evicted by losing their jobs and not being able to pay their rent
Dec. 18, 202001: 48
The raises are a breath of relief for millions of families who have essential jobs and are battling an economic recession, without much room to negotiate their hourly pay with their employers.
"We have many low-wage service workers who are working during the COVID-19 crisis, many of whom have jobs with a higher risk of contagion," said Ken Jacobs of the University of California-Berkeley.
[Follow our coverage of the coronavirus pandemic]
A total of
14 million Americans
were also unable to renew their unemployment benefits over the end of the year, due to delays in the new federal aid package.
Experts estimate that they may
have to wait weeks to receive payments
.
Minimum wages, state by state
Only essential businesses have continued to operate in most states due to the pandemic, leading to layoffs across the country.
AP
Some states will have a rise of just between 8 and 20 cents, leaving the following minimum wages:
Alaska
, $ 10.34;
Arizona
, $ 12.15;
Florida
, $ 8.65;
Maine
, $ 12.15;
Minnesota
, $ 10.08;
Montana
, $ 8.75;
Ohio
, $ 8.80;
South Dakota
, $ 9.45;
and
Washington
, $ 13.69.
Colorado
posted an increase of 32 cents, bringing his salary to $ 12.32.
Others gave a little more, between 70 and 85 cents, like
Maryland
, up to $ 11.75;
Massachusetts
, $ 13.50;
Missouri
, $ 10.30;
New York
, $ 12.50;
and
Vermont
, $ 11.75.
Finally,
New Mexico
had the largest increase: $ 1.5, with a minimum wage of $ 10.50 in 2021.
Workers will be paid a dollar more starting in January in the states of
Arkansas
, up to $ 11.00;
California
, $ 14.00;
Illinois
, $ 11.00;
and
New Jersey
, $ 12.00.
More requests for unemployment and delayed aid
Difficulties in buying food, paying rent and basic services are exacerbated by the high rates of layoffs in the country.
In the past week, there were
841,000 new applications for unemployment benefits,
the Labor Department reported Thursday.
In addition, 308,000 applications were registered to a federal unemployment program for part-time workers, the self-employed and others who usually cannot apply for regular benefits.
November closes with fewer jobs than expected and high unemployment rate
Dec. 4, 202001: 40
A total of 14 million people receive unemployment benefits, but have suffered delays in their allocations due to the delay of the president, Donald Trump, in signing the latest stimulus package approved by Congress.
Two federal unemployment assistance programs expired Saturday, December 26 at midnight.
The new legislation established an extension until mid-March, and an additional weekly payment of $ 300, but because Trump signed the law on Sunday, the programs expired.
It is estimated that payments will not restart until next week
.
[They estimate that 25% of minors in the US will go hungry]
States can take two to three weeks to update their systems to resume aid programs and pay the additional $ 300, Michele Evermore, an analyst with the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group for workers, told the Associated Press.
With information from the Associated Press, The New York Times and CNN
