April 2022: Los Angeles County Raises Minimum Wage

Update Applicable to:
All employers in Los Angeles County, California.

What happened?
On March 7, 2022, the County’s Chief Executive Office (CEO) announced that the minimum wage for workers in unincorporated areas in Los Angeles County will be $15.96 per hour beginning July 1, 2022.

What are the details?
The new 6.4% rate increase was determined by the County’s Chief Executive Office based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index. This is the first increase calculated by the CEO following the automatic scheduled increases established upon the passage of the Minimum Wage Ordinance in 2016.

Under the County’s Minimum Wage Ordinance, employers and workers have complied with the annual increases to make the region a competitive ecosystem that supports fair work, pay, and prosperity. Some important aspects of the wage ordinance:

• This ordinance applies to employees who perform at least two hours of work in a week within unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County
• Employers are required to post an updated bulletin of the new wage rate in a conspicuous place in addition to the original legally required workplace posting
• Employer retaliation is illegal
• Employees are afforded the protections of the County’s Minimum Wage Ordinance regardless of their immigration or work status

The new 2022 poster must be displayed in a conspicuous and accessible place at job sites, in English, Spanish, and the primary language used by the employer to communicate with employees regarding employees’ work functions, if other than English or Spanish. You can find the required posters on the County website.

What do employers need to do?
Employers should review the links provided above, make adjustments to their payroll policies, and download and post the required minimum wage notice in a conspicuous location.