Seminar guides businesses through minimum wage increase

A recent seminar hosted by Western Washington University's Small Business Development Center helped Bellingham businesses prepare for a hike in the minimum wage. The change will account for a 12.5 percent increase in the cost of doing business and could propose challenges for small businesses.

Effective on January 1, 2020, the minimum wage will increase across the state of Washington from $12 an hour to $13.50 an hour. Currently, the national minimum wage is $7.25.