CNMI reaches federal minimum wage level

11:57 am on 5 October 2018

The Northern Marianas has matched the federal minimum wage level of $US7.25 an hour, more than a decade after it was put on notice.

Saipan in the Northern Marianas.

Saipan in the Northern Marianas. Photo: Supplied

The minimum wage in the territory has more than doubled in the past decade, from $US3.05 an hour in 2007.

The president of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce Velma Palacios said the improving economy has created a competitive environment for businesses and workers.

She said many local businesses paid above the federal minimum wage.

But she said higher wages meant some businesses have had to increase their prices to cope with higher operating costs.

The federally mandated increase that brought the Commonwealth to the federal level started back in 2007, when the CNMI minimum wage was at$US3.05 an hour.

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