BC Minimum Wage Increase

If you are a student who is interested in looking for part time jobs and paid co-op in BC, there are some exciting news for you! On Friday, June 1st of this year, the BC provincial government increased the minimum wage.

Wages increase

The last increase in wages happened back in September of 2017, with an increase of $0.50. This year, the BC minimum wage has received the much larger increase of $1.30. So, it went up from $11.35 per hour to $12.65 per hour. It is the first increase in a series of hikes that the government has planned. In the future, wages will increase each year so that they will reach $15.20 per hour by the year 2021.

Better standard of living

The current government decided to increase the minimum wage based on recommendations from BC’s Fair Wages Commission. The increase is meant to help improve the living standards of people living within BC. For example, a report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives states that a family of two parents and 2 children need wages of at least $20.91 to survive in BC. The increase will help meet these needs. In addition, minimum wages for specific groups will also receive separate increases. This includes bar servers, piece-rate farm workers, resident caretakers, and live-in camp leaders.

There is a possibility that the government will attempt to make an increase of up to $0.20 to wages in 2021. However, this will depend on economic conditions.