Pennsylvania's Department of Labor and Industry called for a minimum wage increase Thursday, as hearings continue in Harrisburg on Governor Tom Wolf's budget proposal.
If approved, the proposal would raise Pennsylvania's minimum wage to $12 an hour by July 1, 2021, then to $15 an hour in the future.
DLI Acting Secretary Jennifer Barrier said the state's current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour hasn't been adequate for the last decade.
"A single worker earning the current minimum wage, which is $7.25 per hour in Pennsylvania, would have to work 67 hours per week to earn a living wage," she said.
The last increase in Pennsylvania's minimum wage was 2009.
Some legislators and business owners fear increased minimum wage will result in extra strain on small businesses and job loss.
In a January statement, House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Peach Bottom) cited DLI statistics that show Pennsylvania's average wage has increased by 25 percent in the last ten years.
Today, you can walk into all kinds of businesses offering entry-level work, with no experience necessary, and find employment paying well above the minimum wage.
A $7.25 an hour minimum wage is the lowest allowed by federal law.