(The Center Square) – Illinois employers are bracing for minimum-wage hikes, which may lead to more job cuts around the state.

Illinois’ minimum wage is rising from $14 per hour to $15 on Jan 1, the final increase in a series of annual increases from a law Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed in February of 2019. In addition, the minimum wage for tipped workers is increasing from $8.40 per hour to $9. The youth minimum wage, for workers under age working fewer than 650 hours per calendar year, is going up from $12 per hour to $13.