The cost of living in New Jersey has gone up over the years, worsened by the current inflationary period. Most New Jerseyans with full-time jobs cannot afford a one-bedroom apartment. As of 2021, 60% of the national workforce relies on additional gig work to afford basic necessities, according to Pew Research Center. And with the surge of labor movements across the country , the fight for a $15 minimum wage won out in New Jersey, where lawmakers plan to reach that goal minimum wage incrementally by 2024. With the new year, the wage increased by $1.13 — bringing the total $14.13 per hour.

Gov. Phil Murphy pledged to increase the minimum wage when he took office in 2018 — when the state’s minimum wage was just $8.60 per hour. Since then, the wage has increased by $1 or more every year. But the minimum wage still does not apply to all employees. The minimum hourly wage for agricultural employees sits at $12.01, while tipped workers make just $5.26.

“By continuing our path to a $15/hour minimum wage, we are building a stronger and fairer economy that works for every family, beginning with supporting our middle class,” Gov. Murphy said in a tweet on the morning of Jan. 1.