It has been announced that the IKEA minimum wage for workers in American branches of the well-known Swedish furniture retailer will increase by 17 percent next year. That change will affect about half of the IKEA retail employees in the United States. Fortunately for those of us who love how IKEA is known for low-priced items showcased inside of blue-and-yellow superstores, the company has noted the wage bump won’t cause merchandise prices to go up.
The IKEA minimum wage will vary depending on where in the country an employee is located. However, representatives from IKEA note that the minimum wage increase is based upon a living wage calculator. That tool takes several factors into consideration such as food, transportation, the cost of housing and annual taxes.
There are currently 38 IKEA stores in the United States, and the company has said all those locations, along with 3 others that are supposed to open by the end of 2015 will abide by the new minimum wage payment structure.
President Barack Obama has been tackling the minimum wage as one of his key issues, and is hoping Congress will increase the minimum wage amount to $10.10 per hour. That would be quite a jump, considering the current federal minimum wage is just $7.25.
The IKEA minimum wage is not the only one to get a boost. At the beginning of the year, Gap, Inc. said it too would raise the minimum wage for American employees to $9 this year, and a dollar more next year.
Interestingly enough, this is not the only reason why IKEA has been in the news recently. A website called IKEA Hackers features a gallery of creative ways IKEA furniture owners have used pieces for something other than their intended purposes. People have made things ranging from gerbil houses to mini bars, all after getting inspiration from at least one IKEA product.
Initially, the IKEAHackers.net website was ordered to relinquish its domain name after receiving a cease-and-desist letter set by the Swedish company earlier this year. However, the founder of the website apparently has many fans, because that development caused a global outcry. After many negotiations, IKEA has said it will work together with the website founder to try and find a solution that doesn’t involve the beloved website being shut down.
From the IKEA minimum wage increase to the creative website that has won the hearts of people from around the world, it appears the furniture retailer is on the minds of consumers and employees, even for reasons that span outside of the products themselves.
[Image Credit: Epoch Times ]