Gov. Hochul has announced a series of pay increases for nurse positions at state agencies in New York.

This increase will benefit nearly 6,500 state employees at 15 agencies, according to the governor.

The increases will bring the starting salary of registered nurses working the day shift to nearly $90,000 upstate and $108,000 downstate when coupled with pay differentials.

The aim of the increase is to help improve recruitment and retention among the state’s health care workforce.