Omaha area employers say tight labor market is pushing up wages [View all]

Some workers are benefiting more than others, but employers across several industries said wages are on the rise as they compete to hire from a tightening labor pool.

Cubby’s, the Omaha-based regional chain of convenience stores, bumped its starting pay to $10 an hour from $9 a few years ago, and said the average wage at the company has risen 17 percent over the past four years for its 625 workers.

Wages may keep rising: “It seems to be heading higher,” President De Lone Wilson said. Cubby’s gives merit raises but not regular cost-of-living raises.

At $10, Cubby’s sees plenty of applications at Omaha-area stores but sometimes struggles to staff stores in rural areas with smaller labor pools.

Read more: http://www.omaha.com/money/omaha-area-employers-say-tight-labor-market-is-pushing-up/article_3bf4f8fa-3b5a-5116-95d8-0318ed6a0d38.html