(Bloomberg) -- Facebook Inc. is increasing pay andbenefits for contract workers and people employed through companyvendors.

The new standards include a minimum wage of $15 an hour and atleast 15 paid days off for holidays, sick time and vacation, ChiefOperating Officer Sheryl Sandberg wrote in a blog post on Tuesday.For workers who don’t receive paid parental leave, thesocial-networking company has a $4,000 new-child benefit. California’s minimum wage is set to increaseto $10 an hour in January from $9. The national rate is $7.25 anhour.

Facebook’s changes took effect for some teams at its Menlo Park,California, headquarters on May 1. The policy will be implementedmore broadly within the year, the company said.

“Taking these steps is the right thing to do for our businessand our community,” Sandberg wrote. “Research also shows thatproviding adequate benefits contributes to a happier and ultimatelymore productive workforce.”

Facebook is the latest among Silicon Valley companies boostingcompensation for contractors whose work can include food service,grounds maintenance and communications. Shuttle bus drivers servingFacebook, Apple Inc., EBay Inc. and Yahoo! Inc. voted inFebruary to unionize. Apple agreed in March to 25 percent raisesfor its drivers. Microsoft Corp. said the same month that it wouldprovide contract workers at least 15 paid days off annually.

U.S. staffing companies hire out 14 million contractors eachyear, according to an estimate by the American StaffingAssociation. About 1.8 million of those work in the information-technology, scientific and engineering fields.

Copyright 2018 Bloomberg. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten,or redistributed.