Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations

Missouri’s minimum wage workers will see a pay increase this year, because the state’s minimum wage rate rose from $7.25 to $7.35. This is the first time Missouri’s minimum wage has increased since 2009.

The minimum wage rate is based on the state’s Consumer Price Index and is adjusted annually to reflect the cost of living. According to Missouri law, the state’s minimum wage rate cannot be lower than the federal minimum wage rate, currently $7.25 per hour.

Employers engaged in retail or service businesses with an annual gross income more than $500,000 are required to pay their employees the state minimum wage rate. Employers that are not subject to the minimum wage law can pay employees wages of their choosing. 

Employers are required to display several posters in the workplace pertaining to worker rights. You can find the 2013 Minimum Wage Summary Poster and other required workplace posters here. The Spanish version of the poster is also available.

Are you a tipped employee? Your employer must pay you at least 50 percent of the minimum wage ($3.675 per hour), and make up the remaining amount of the minimum wage if you do not earn the rest in tips.

If you are a minimum wage earner and did not see the 10-cent increase on your gross pay, you can file a Minimum Wage Complaint to begin an investigation with the Division of Labor Standards (DLS). Watch the Worker Protection Center’s Wage Complaint video.

Each year, contractors from across the state fill out the prevailing wage survey to help determine the wage rates for public works projects in the coming year.

The Division of Labor Standards (DLS) calculates prevailing wage rates by sorting the surveys according to number of hours worked at each wage rate. The mode method is used to see which rate occurs most frequently and will become the wage rate for the next year.

For example: if 10 contractors in a county submit wage rates for carpenters, and nine of the contractors submit the same wage rate, that rate would prevail for carpenters in that county.

NEW this year, the Department created an online form to make submitting the survey easier and more efficient for contractors.

Contractors can now submit all prevailing wage surveys electronically, and no longer have to:

• Print forms
• Hand write forms
• Mail or fax forms

For information on how to navigate the new online survey, watch the video below:

As a first time user, you will need to register your account before filling out the survey. Gather your federal identification number (FEIN), name of the project, dates work reported, details of fringe benefits, and list of occupational titles before registering the account. After registration, the survey program will store your information for future submissions.

The DLS expects to see more contractor participation in the survey with the addition of the online form. In 2011, more than 1,400 contractors in the state submitted prevailing wage surveys for commercial projects.

The DLS accepts surveys throughout the year, but would like to collect all surveys by Feb. 1, 2013, in order to finalize the wage rates for the current year to submit to the Secretary of State’s office.

Claiming unemployment insurance benefits? We want to connect with you to help get you back into the workforce.

The Missouri Department of Labor and the Division of Workforce Development are working together to implement the “It’s All About YOU” Program to provide the long-term unemployed with new skills to fit a changing workforce.

“It’s All About YOU” is a program designed to improve customer marketability by identifying a career path, providing workshops and trainings, and marketing the newly attained experience, skills, and education to potential employers. 

Missouri Career Centers first engage claimants by conducting required reemployment interviews. After the interview, staff members will refer customers to the service that will provide them with the needed skills to regain employment.

Missouri Career Centers offer a wide range of reemployment services, including:

• Career exploration classes
• Career networking
• Workshops
• Resume writing
• Job fairs
• Mock interviews

One staff member said, “Together, we are able to discover ways to make the customer more employable.”

The “It’s All About YOU” Program currently is only offered to claimants who have exhausted regular UI benefits and are now collecting federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation 2008 (EUC08) benefits. However, the Department will soon be offering the “It’s All About YOU” Program to all claimants filing for unemployment benefits.

One customer said, “In the past two months, I have received more [training and skills] through workshops at the career center than the previous two years. I start my new job at the end of the month!”

Since the federal EUC08 regulations were passed, Missouri Career Centers have assisted more than 17,500 people using the “It’s All About YOU” Program. To learn more about “It’s All About YOU,” visit jobs.mo.gov/You or visit your local Missouri Career Center.

The ultimate goal is to help claimants regain employment—but the work needed to get the job is up to YOU.