(Des Moines, IA) -- Minimum wage workers in Iowa could get a big pay hike.
Democratic candidate for Governor Rob Sand wants to boost the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $12-dollars an hour.
"People stay in their jobs longer and that reduces the cost of turn over for employers. But it also means people have more money in their pocket. And that's a good thing in the state of Iowa. We are 48th over the last three years for personal income growth and this would be one way to give people a boost, " Sand said.
The minimum wage in Iowa has remained flat since 2008.
Sand believes phasing in the increase will help businesses absorb the costs.
"You don't want to necessarily want to flip a switch overnight because that's much harder for people to handle. But when you're able to phase it in, that's a lot more effective way to go about it," he said.
He made his comments after a business roundtable at IME, a small milling and industrial supply company in Des Moines.
Business owners pressed Sand for policies that help retain young workers in the state, reduce red tape and licensing regulations for small businesses and for better health care.
His Republican opponent, Zach Lahn has not responded to a request for comment about raising the minimum wage in Iowa.