The minimum wage in Arkansas will go to $10 per hour beginning January 1, 2020, up from the $9.25-an-hour rate that’s been in place since January 1, 2019.
The increase is a result of a 2018 ballot initiative and is part of a series of increases that will end with an $11-per-hour rate beginning January 1, 2021. Employers need to ensure they are paying their minimum wage workers $10 an hour by January 1.
The increased minimum also may require pay adjustments for other employees as well, since many employers maintain a relationship between the pay rates for various jobs. For example, one job classification may make a dollar more an hour than a minimum wage worker. Therefore, the nonminimum wage position may also require a raise. Even if adjustments for nonminimum wage workers are necessary, they can be phased in after the January 1 effective date of the new $10 state minimum wage.
For more information on the Arkansas minimum wage, see the January 2019 issue of Arkansas Employment Law Letter.
Steve Jones is an attorney with Jack Nelson Jones, P.A. in Little Rock, Arkansas. He can be reached at sjones@jacknelsonjones.com.