In an industry that employs one quarter of all working Americans, The Gap has given a strong signal that others are definitely noticing, even if they are not following its lead yet. The Gap has promised to raise its internal minimum wage to $9 per hour this year and $10 per hour in 2015. Industry experts believe that most corporations will wait and see whether The Gap?s move will pay off, but some companies are already talking about improving their own minimum wage, notably Wal-Mart. The raises at The Gap could affect 65,000 employees alone. Many competitors in the retail industry are claiming that their workforce is already paid competitively, so only time will tell the true effect that this policy change will have.
See "To raise or not to raise wages?", The Washington Post, February 20, 2014