On Friday, July 24, with the minimum wage increase coming into effect, - for the minimum wage workers covered by the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act - as many as thirty US states will see a boost in the minimum wage rates to $7.25 per hour. The remaining states already have their minimum wages set above the $7.25-an-hour mark!

It is but obvious that the minimum wage employees have hailed the federal decision, which they feel has come 'just in time'.

Specifically speaking for a couple of states, the workers in Arkansas, who are currently earning $6.25 per hour, will see a one dollar hike in their wage rates - which implies that those working a 40-hour week will now have 160 more dollars each month!

Similarly, in Idaho, where almost 40,000 out of 650,000 minimum wage workers are presently being paid $6.55 per hour, the minimum wage will be hiked to the stipulated $7.25 per hour.

However, the opponents of the minimum wage jump are questioning the timing of the federal decision. They opine that the decision would likely bring in further job-cuts - putting forth the logic that more pay to workers would result in the hiring of fewer employees.

Most employers also feel that handing out additional wages would be a challenging task, especially when breaking even is tough enough!