 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
By The Canadian Press$ v. t8 S# u. ~8 k, v% Y
3 d# O5 i) b" [5 B
EDMONTON - Alberta's lowest wage earners will get a bit of a break next month as the minimum wage increases by five per cent to $8.80 per hour.
& v2 {, `9 C; {2 ?& y3 M& W7 q" [( f' h0 ^8 w$ `- U1 ?! z: Q& s) H( S
That rate is pretty much in the middle of the pack compared to other provinces, with Ontario leading the nation with a rate that will jump to $9.50 at the end of the month.
" s1 j2 ^5 U' w7 B; L: a, ~+ s4 ~: Y( v" h9 y
Alberta's 40-cent per hour boost on April 1 may not seem like a lot in a province where the average hourly wage is $23.90. v6 a9 n9 @) W; w/ u# M1 q! x3 |
- x. i+ R5 J: Q' y( H5 Z6 O9 ?6 Q9 {
But most minimum wage earners are between 15 and 19-years-old and work in the hotel, retail and food service industries.
0 }2 d2 a4 m# L1 N3 k- a9 e* d! p
9 v6 ~7 I* c- f% g& L; |) JEmployment Minister Hector Goudreau says while most people earn much more than the minimum wage, the province didn't want to forget about those in lower-income occupations. Q2 H) n' S ` L0 v
9 v: U* z' M; x4 F% Q9 H0 E4 }2 u
Alberta uses a formula to set the minimum wage each year, with increases calculated each spring using the average weekly earnings for all sectors. |
|