1.5 per cent increase will bring new minimum wage to $10.30 per hour
The minimum wage in Nova Scotia will rise to $10.30 per hour on April 1, the province announced. The increase is 1.5 per cent higher than the present rate of $10.15
The minimum wage for an inexperienced worker, with less than three months' experience in the work for which they were hired, will also rise from $9.65 to $9.80.
This is the fourth time since 2010 the province has increased the minimum wage.
"Students, single parents and others rely on minimum-wage jobs to make ends meet," said Minister of Labour and Advanced Education Marilyn More. “This increase will help low-income individuals and their families by making sure the minimum wage is fair."
Minimum wage increases now occur annually and are based on the previous year’s national consumer price index.
Fixing the rate to the consumer price index was a recommendation from the Minimum Wage Review Committee, made up of people representing both employers and employees. The committee had previously recommended a schedule of increases that would bring the rate back in line with the low income cut-off, a figure set by Statistics Canada where people are devoting a significantly larger than average percentage of their income to the basic necessities of food, shelter and clothing.
Nova Scotia has the highest minimum wage in Atlantic Canada and one of the highest in the country, behind Nunavut and the Yukon.
