Alberta is set to increase the current minimum wage from $10.20 per hour up to $15.00 per hour over the next three years as part of the NDP’s financial plan for our province. This would set Alberta to have the highest minimum wage in Canada.
Ontario and Nunavut currently pay the highest minimum wages at $11 per hour, with Ontario planning to raise it to $11.25 on Oct. 1. By then, the Northwest Territories will have the highest minimum, with a June hike set to take it to $12.50.
Alberta is the home to some of the highest wages in the country, as high as 25 per cent more than the average Canadian and with people in the age bracket of 18-24 earning approximately $18.00 per hour.
Economists are eager to see what effect this may have on the job market and the economy. However, with less than 2% of the population in Alberta actually earning minimum wage it is unclear what the actual impact will be.
Jennifer Roche / Payroll Specialist / PEO Canada