B.C.鈥檚 minimum wage is getting a 45-cent increase in June, the province has announced Monday (March 14).

This is part of a 2020 commitment to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Monday鈥檚 announcement brings the province鈥檚 minimum wage to $15.65 鈥� the second highest in the country, behind Nunavut.

鈥滲.C. had one of the lowest minimum wages in the country prior to 2017, but was one of the most expensive places to live,鈥� Labour Minister Harry Bains said in a statement.鈥漌e do not want our lowest-paid workers to fall behind. The minimum wage increases tied to inflation are part of our plan to build an economy that works for everyone.鈥�

This is the first time the wage increase is tied to average inflation rates in B.C. This year鈥檚 rate is 2.8 per cent.

In 2021, 6 per cent of workers across the province, or roughly 136,300 people, earned minimum wage or less, with 52 per cent being younger than 25 years old and 58 per cent women.

More to come.

ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
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