Upstate New York workers who earn the minimum wage are due for a hike come Jan. 1, the state Department of Labor announced Monday. 

The minimum wage for counties north of Westchester will increase by 70 cents, from $12.50 an hour to $13.20. 

At the same time, the minimum wage for workers in the New York City suburban counties of Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk will increase from $14 to $15, part of a scheduled increase that was part of a phase-in for New York agreed to in 2016. 

“It makes sense to raise the wage floor now and continue supporting New York’s families while providing a predictable path forward for businesses,” Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said in a statement. “With today’s action we are continuing the work of building back with equity and justice.”

The wage comes following the economic turmoil created by the COVID-19. The state shed $2 million in the initial weeks of the pandemic. But as businesses reopened, employers reported a worker shortage, and many businesses have increased their minimum pay as a result. 

State labor officials pointed to low-wage workers in sectors like retail, hospitality and health care as having been most affected by the job losses.