JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri workers earning minimum wage will make an extra 40 cents per hour in 2009.

The state Labor Department announced Friday that Missouri's hourly minimum wage would increase from $6.65 to $7.05 starting Jan. 1.

Voters in 2006 approved a ballot measure that requires the state minimum wage to increase annually along with inflation. In a news release, the Labor Department said the 40-cent boost for 2009 is based on a a 6 percent change in the national Consumer Price Index from July 2007 to July 2008.

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