CASPER - A federal minimum-wage increase that seems likely to clear the U.S. House this week would affect few jobs in Wyoming.
Thanks to the state's energy boom, jobs paying $5.15 an hour are scarce here.
"For all intents and purposes, they're aren't any left," said Greg Chocas, south-central regional manager for the state Department of Workforce Services.
In Casper, for example, wages on the low end start at $6 to $7. He said there also is evidence that wages are being bid up by employers desperate to retain or attract good workers.
"Wages are raising across the board. Period," Chocas said.
The U.S. House is considering a phased increase in the minimum wage to $7.25 by 2008.
A similar proposal stalled last year when Republicans tied an increase in the minimum wage to a reduction of the federal estate tax.
Tom Gallagher, manager of the Wyoming Department of Employment's Research and Planning Section, said the minimum wage is probably still being paid in some parts of Wyoming. He said such workers probably live outside the boom areas and for one reason or another would have difficulty moving or commuting.
"They are probably part of a captive labor force," he said. "I suspect youth and female are more likely to fall into that category."
He said an increase in the federal minimum wage could help some Wyoming businesses become more competitive. That's because businesses in neighboring states might currently be able to pay lower wages, giving them a competitive advantage over Wyoming businesses.
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