Alberta to boost minimum wage by 40 cent to $8.80/hr starting April 1.

Hathaway

By The Canadian Press

& C  {* K$ X  @+ _: v8 t5 UEDMONTON - Alberta's lowest wage earners will get a bit of a break next month as the minimum wage increases by five per cent to $8.80 per hour.
( D! J1 H$ E8 S7 e( c: w
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.
- z4 O' Q4 G+ Y% N- ^& f& N
5 o2 ]& y- v# \4 \( E4 p" `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.
; [# e6 ^" m; R1 ]- }9 H0 o
" A* t2 f3 u9 i2 HBut most minimum wage earners are between 15 and 19-years-old and work in the hotel, retail and food service industries.
. T) P1 o! g4 x) W- \: e- H
1 x7 w. ]* c" L0 K& F& DEmployment 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.
6 s2 T( O* S- V6 Q+ V' ?
Alberta uses a formula to set the minimum wage each year, with increases calculated each spring using the average weekly earnings for all sectors.

miq

YZSUNNY

烟雨江南