Phil Murphy on Jobs

	Phil Murphy on Jobs

We've nearly doubled state minimum wage to $15.49 an hour

When we entered office, there were hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans who were earning a minimum wage that was nothing more than a starvation wage. That is unjust. Period. And it is why, during our first term, I worked with you all to raise our state's minimum wage. And now, as of 2025, New Jersey's minimum wage is nearly double what it was when I entered office.

At $15.49 an hour, we are ensuring that our working neighbors can afford basic necessities--like food and housing.

Source: 2025 State of the State Address to New Jersey legislature , Jan 14, 2025

State minimum wage now $15/hour, will adjust for inflation

As of this month, New Jersey's minimum wage has officially reached over $15 an hour. That is a promise kept! And, it will adjust for inflation. So even when costs rise--working people will not fall behind. In fact, by the time I leave office, our minimum wage could be nearly double what it was when I was elected to this office in 2017. Source: 2024 State of the State Address to the N.J. legislature , Jan 9, 2024

Minimum wage up to $14.13/hour, will help more than 400,000

The saving grace back then was if you worked hard you would get ahead and you would do better than your parents. But today, that notion of the American Dream is harder to achieve for too many people. And that is why I am dedicated to creating pathways to opportunity. One of these pathways just got wider. Ten days ago, the minimum wage increased to $14.13 an hour, an increase that will help more than 400,000 New Jerseyans better provide for themselves and their families. Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the N.J. legislature , Jan 10, 2023

Not every new job is going to be housed in a physical office

We must recognize that in the new, post-pandemic business environment, not every new job created for a New Jerseyan is going to be housed in a physical office in New Jersey. For many New Jerseyans, working remotely is here to stay. So, let's take this moment to focus on incenting jobs in New Jersey, wherever they are, regardless of whether they are in an office building in Newark or at a kitchen table in Cherry Hill. Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the N.J. legislature , Jan 10, 2023

One way to make state more affordable is pay a livable wage

Four years ago, New Jersey's minimum wage was $8.65 an hour--a wage that locked countless hard-working New Jersey families into a cycle of poverty. Today, our minimum wage is $13 an hour and on a path to $15, with hundreds of thousands of families now starting to reach up and pull themselves into the middle class. Here is an obvious truth some still try to deny--one meaningful way to make New Jersey more affordable is to make sure more New Jerseyans have a living wage. And we are on that path. Source: 2022 State of the State Address to New Jersey legislature , Jan 11, 2022

Jobs NJ: align education with needs of employers, workers

Jobs NJ is how we ensure our state prospers in good times and how it overcomes tough times. Jobs NJ has a clear mission--to better align our education system to meet the future needs of both employers and workers, and do better at matching our workers with potential employers. Jobs NJ will clear a path to ongoing job training, so residents can continue to learn and compete as the needs of employers evolve with new technologies and new economic realities. Source: 2020 New Jersey State of the State address , Jan 14, 2020

Raise minimum wage to $15

Our minimum wage workers got a 25-cent per hour increase on January 1--a scant $10 more on a 40-hour work week. That's completely inadequate. A $15 dollar an hour minimum wage will give more than one million families a stronger foothold in the middle class and allow those who aspire to enter the middle class the means to do so. The people this will help are the same people all of us rely on - maintenance workers, child-care workers and home health aides, security guards, and many more. Source: 2019 State of the State address to New Jersey legislature , Jan 15, 2019

Raise minimum wage to $15 an hour

Phil believes an economy simply works better when people can afford to participate in it--and that the best way to grow the economy is from the middle class out. Since the end of the Great Recession, New Jersey's gains have gone to those at the top, with middle-class and working families getting even less than before. Phil will turn that around by:

Raising minimum wage to $15 an hour, so that those who want to work can support their family and ensure that no one who works full time in 2017 lives in poverty.
Mandating earned sick leave, and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit;
Ensuring equal pay for equal work;
Establishing a child and dependent care tax credit to ease the burden on families struggling with the high costs of care;
And finally making millionaires and corporations pay their fair share of taxes, so we can make the investments we need in our schools.

Source: 2017 N.J. gubernatorial campaign website, Murphy4NJ.com , Jun 6, 2017

Partner with private sector to expand job training

New Jersey continues to struggle with long-term unemployment. As of 2015, our state had the third highest rate of long-term unemployed in the nation--more than 41% of all unemployed individuals had been out of work for 27 weeks or more. Last year, Phil Murphy began tackling this issue head on through the New Start Career Network, which provides free, personalized career services to long-term unemployed individuals over the age of 45, and already it's having an impact. As Governor, Phil will develop partnerships with the private sector to expand job training and placement for individuals who are out of work. Source: 2017 New Jersey Gubernatorial website, Murphy4NJ.com , Sep 19, 2016

Close the wage gap: ban unequal pay for same work by women

Women in New Jersey currently earn 79 cents for every dollar earned by a man performing equal work. This is unacceptable in 2016. Phil Murphy supports efforts to close the wage gap by banning unequal pay for substantially similar work, prohibiting employers from requiring applicants to disclose their current salary, increasing wage transparency, and strengthening legal protections for victims of wage discrimination. Source: 2017 New Jersey Gubernatorial website, Murphy4NJ.com , Sep 19, 2016

Raise minimum wage to $15 per hour

Phil Murphy supports raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour. Raising the minimum wage would benefit nearly one million workers, equal to one-quarter of all workers in our state. New Jersey's current minimum wage is grossly inadequate. The current minimum wage of $8.38 per hour is roughly 50 percent below a "living wage"--the amount an individual in NJ needs to meet basic needs. The argument that raising the minimum wage kills jobs is a myth that is simply not supported by evidence. Source: 2017 New Jersey Gubernatorial website, Murphy4NJ.com , Sep 19, 2016

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