OLYMPIA, Wash. — January 1 will bring with it new rules for employers. Starting Sunday, Washington businesses with more than 15 employees will be required to disclose pay or salary ranges in their job listings.
Currently, in the state of Washington, only 48% of the job listings on Indeed.com include pay or salary ranges. But that’s going to change.
The new rule is designed to address wage gaps based on race or gender, but many job seekers say it will cut back on the number of hours and days spent applying for jobs that turn out to pay too little to live on.
Labor economists say the policy change will shift the power balance between hiring managers and job seekers.
Also coming January 1, Washington will have the highest state minimum wage in the country when it increases nearly 9% to $15.74 an hour.
Currently, our minimum wage is $14.49 an hour, so that’s an increase of $1.25.
According to L&I, the increase is “directly linked to the cost of common goods such as housing, food, and medical care as reflected in the Consumer Price Index.”
The minimum wage applies to workers age 16 and older. Under state law, 14 and 15-year-olds can be paid 85%, which will be $13.38 in 2023.