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Minimum Wage Will Increase to $7.25 on July 24 ST. LOUIS (PRNewswire-USNewswire), July 19, 2009 - The U.S. Department of Labor reminds employers and employees that the federal minimum wage will increase to $7.25 on Friday, July 24. With this change, employees who are covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) will be entitled to pay no less than $7.25 per hour. "This administration is committed to improving the lives of working families across the nation, and the increase in the minimum wage is another important step in the right direction," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "This well-deserved increase will help workers better provide for their families in the face of today's economic challenges. I am especially pleased that the change will benefit working women, who make up two-thirds of minimum wage earners." This increase is the last of three provided by the enactment of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, which amended the FLSA to increase the federal minimum wage in three steps: to $5.85 per hour effective July 24, 2007; to $6.55 per hour effective July 24, 2008; and now to $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. The latest change will directly benefit workers in 30 states (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming) where the state minimum wage is currently at or below the federal minimum wage or there is no state minimum wage. It will also benefit workers in the District of Columbia, where the minimum wage is required to be $1 more than the federal minimum wage. A family with a full-time minimum wage earner would see its monthly income increase by about $120. That is more than a week's worth of groceries for an average family of four or more than one week's utility bills. The $120 buys three tanks of gas for a small car. The $120 would easily cover the cost of replacing all the light bulbs in a typical home with compact fluorescent light bulbs -- which would save the family money in the long term and be an important step toward a greener country. The benefits are not just for full-time workers. About half of minimum wage workers are part-timers, and they, too, are going to see a very welcome boost to their incomes. Every employer of workers subject to the FLSA's minimum wage provisions must post, and keep posted in each of its establishments, a notice explaining this act. The notice must be posted in conspicuous places to permit employees to readily read them. Posters and other compliance assistance materials concerning the minimum wage increase are available free of charge from the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division and may also be obtained from the agency's web site at www.wagehour.dol.gov/. Project Work Can Pave Way to Full-Time Employment ST. LOUIS (PRNewswire-USNewswire), July 19, 2009 - Technology professionals looking to get a foot in the door with a new employer may want to try project work. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of chief information officers (CIOs) interviewed recently said it's beneficial to bring in prospective employees on a contract basis before hiring them for full-time roles. The survey was developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of information technology professionals on a project and full-time basis, and conducted by an independent research firm. It was based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 CIOs from companies across the United States with 100 or more employees. CIOs were asked, "In the current environment, how valuable is it to have a prospective employee work on a project or contract basis as a means of evaluation for full-time employment within your IT department?" "In the current economic climate, companies are understandably cautious and want to avoid costly hiring mistakes," said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology. "Bringing someone in on a project basis allows both the employer and the prospective hire to evaluate whether the position is a fit." Working on a contract basis also allows IT professionals to avoid resume gaps, which can hinder a job search. In a separate survey developed by Robert Half Technology, 42 percent of CIOs said IT workers could be unemployed as much as six months before it would adversely affect their careers. "Listing active project work on a resume keeps it current, especially for applicants who have experienced recent layoffs," he said. "Consulting also enables IT professionals to keep their skills sharp." Continued Next Column    Advertisements Robert Half Technology offers the following tips to help IT professionals land project positions: Adjust your resume for project work. At the top of your resume, highlight your areas of IT expertise, current skills and quantifiable results with past employers. After that, provide an abbreviated work history of relevant jobs and contract positions. Limit your resume to no more than two pages. Work with a specialized staffing firm. These firms have extensive connections with reputable companies in their local markets and access to unadvertised consulting positions. They can showcase your best skills to help you land suitable projects. Emphasize short-term results in the interview. Employers want to see that you can ramp up quickly and contribute immediately. During the interview, highlight how your specific skills and experience make you qualified to address the company's similar challenges. Keep active. Use time between assignments to brush up on your technical skills by taking a course, working toward a professional certification or doing volunteer work in your area of IT expertise. Use business and social networking sites, and attend in-person networking events to uncover new consulting opportunities. Archived Stories: Job Seekers Shift Focus to Government Jobs Fewer Teens to Gain Employment Skills this Summer Missouri Job Vacancy Report Reveals Workforce Needs $500 Million in Grants to Train Workers for Green Jobs Fewer Working Fathers Willing to Be Stay-At-Home Dads Than Previous Years YouthBuild Program to Help Youth with Education and Training Nursing Workforce Critical to Success of Health Reform Walmart U.S. to Create More Than 22,000 Jobs in 2009 79% of Americans Feel Secure in Their Jobs Despite Rises in Joblessness Workers Whose Companies Have Experienced Layoffs Reported They are Burned Out Applying the 'So What?' Filter Can Help Job Seekers and the Newly Self-Employed Unemployment Rate Drops in Missouri During April 2009 What Keeps Network Administrators Up At Night? The Saint Louis Front Page is owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan Saint Louis area. 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