Province has seen 13 increases to wage since 2007
Saskatchewan will have a minimum wage of $11.81 per hour starting in October, up from the current $11.45 rate.
"Dealing with COVID-19 over the past year and a half has been a difficult time for everyone in Saskatchewan," says Don Morgan, minister of labour relations and workplace safety. "The provincial government has a strong framework in place to ensure that we are supporting both businesses and workers as we move into recovery after the pandemic. As life returns to normal, sustainable and predictable increases to our minimum wage help ensure that everyone will be able to benefit from a strong and growing Saskatchewan in the future."
Saskatchewan's minimum wage is reviewed annually and is calculated using an indexation formula, which gives equal weight to changes to the Consumer Price Index and average hourly wage for Saskatchewan.
The province increased the minimum wage to $11.45 in October 2020. Overall, there have been 13 increases to the minimum wage in the province, for a total increase of over 48 per cent, since 2007, according to the government.
There have also been recent minimum wage increases in Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and New Brunswick.
However, minimum wage increases can raise unemployment levels because businesses often respond by laying off workers, reducing work hours or hiring less (or not at all), according to a report from the Fraser Institute.
