Did you know, in 2021, 6% of employees in BC (136,300) earned minimum wage or less?
Of these workers, 52% were over the age of 25 and 58% of them were women.
Now, the provincial government has announced a pay boost to minimum wage across BC.
As of June 1st, minimum wage will increase from $15.20 to $15.65 per hour, the highest of any province in Canada.
The incremental increase is part of the provincial government’s 2018 commitment to support workers and their families to get BC’s minimum wage above $15 per hour.
Over the past five years, increases have benefited as many as 400,000 workers across the province, the majority of whom are women, immigrants or youth.
The minimum wage increase is tied to British Columbia’s average annual inflation rate, which, from January 1st, 2021 to December 31st, 2021 was 2.8%.
As of June 1st, a 2.8% increase will also apply to the live-in camp leader and live-in- home-support worker minimum daily wages and the resident caretaker minimum monthly wage.
“Having a fair minimum wage is a key step in helping to lift more people out of poverty, make life more affordable and build a strong economy for B.C.,” said Harry Bains, Minister of Labour.
“We will continue to advocate for fair wages for all workers, especially those low-income workers who have been so essential to our health and well-being during the pandemic.”
