New York state’s minimum wage will not rise on Jan. 1, 2027, even though consumer prices have gone up 4.5% over the past year. The decision stems from rules that make increases dependent on labor market conditions. However, a one-time increase of about 60 cents in March is possible, as Gov. Kathy Hochul recently suggested. According to an SSRS poll for Cornell University, as many as 60% of New Yorkers support raising the minimum wage to at least $30 an hour.
The minimum wage is currently $17 an hour in New York City, on Long Island and in Westchester County, and $16 in the rest of the state. The 2023 budget law provided that, starting in January 2027, the rates would be automatically adjusted for inflation. The mechanism includes an exception, however, that allows increases to be suspended when nonfarm employment falls both over the six-month period from January to July and over the three-month period from April to July. According to the state Department of Labor, the number of jobs fell by 31,100 in the first half of 2026, from more than 10 million to just under 9.97 million, which triggered the wage freeze mechanism.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed changing the law and making a one-time increase in the rates effective March 1, 2027. The minimum wage would rise to $17.60 in the southern part of the state and $16.55 in the north. The proposal would also limit the ability to suspend future adjustments to situations in which monthly job losses over three-, six- and 12-month periods exceed 0.25%. According to the governor’s office, the current rules are overly sensitive to small fluctuations in employment, including declines tied to the tariff and immigration policies of President Donald Trump’s administration. The governor says she will work with the state legislature to pass the changes quickly.
According to a survey conducted by SSRS on behalf of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, 60% of state residents support raising the minimum wage to at least $30 an hour. In the Big Apple, support for the proposal is even higher, with 75% of New Yorkers in favor of raising the rate to that level.
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) living wage calculator, a single adult with no children in New York state needs an average of $29.89 per hour of work to cover basic expenses alone.
Editor: JŁ
Source: Nowy Dziennik
