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Minimum wage increasing to $16.75 June 1
On June 1, B.C.’s lowest-paid workers will get a pay raise with the general minimum wage increasing from $15.65 to $16.75 an hour.
The 6.9% increase in minimum wage rates reflects B.C.’s average annual inflation rate in 2022. The adjustment reflects government’s commitment to tie annual minimum wage increases to inflation. The same increase will apply to wages for residential caretakers, live-in home-support workers and camp leaders.
On Jan. 1, 2024, piece rates for 15 hand-harvested crops will also increase by 6.9%.
“Having a minimum wage that keeps up with inflation is a key step to prevent the lowest paid workers from falling behind,” said Harry Bains, Minister of Labour. “These workers and their families feel the impacts of high costs much more than anyone else. We are maintaining our policy of tying the minimum wage to inflation.”
The increase will positively affect approximately 150,000 workers who earn less than $16.75. Many are food service staff, grocery store workers, retail workers and others who were essential workers during the pandemic, a Ministry of Labour media release said.
Overall, B.C.’s minimum wage has increased from one of the lowest in the country to one of the highest. The minimum wage was $10.45 per hour in 2015.
The increase to the minimum wage is based on B.C.’s average inflation rate in 2022, which was 6.9%. This represents $1.08 or 6.9% of the current minimum wage. Rounded to the nearest nickel, as is common practice in B.C. and in other jurisdictions, the increase will be $1.10 per hour, from $15.65 to $16.75, the Labour Ministry noted.
In 2022, B.C. increased the minimum wage by 2.8%, which was the increase in the cost of living in the province in 2021. This is a common practice in B.C. and other jurisdictions.
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