Report: NY's lowest-paid worker's wages increase faster than average

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April 9, 2008

Anonymous The Press Republican Wed Apr 09, 2008, 06:24 AM EDT

LATHAM, N.Y. (AP) — A new report from a labor-backed think tank finds that the average wage of New York's lowest-paid workers — and the number of jobs in low-paying industries — have risen since a hike on the state's minimum wage.

The Fiscal Policy Institute's report on income trends found the average wage among the state's bottom 10 percent of earners rose 1.4 percent to $7.84 an hour from 2004 to 2007 while the national average remained flat at $7.77.

During that time, the state's minimum wage rose $2 to $7.15.

The group's analysis of Census and federal labor statistics also found the number of jobs in retail and food services — the largest employers of minimum-wage workers — rose 3.3 percent between 2004 and December 2007, while total employment in the state rose 3 percent.