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

Hathaway

By The Canadian Press
. P/ A: D! z4 ?  T8 E
: I' U1 \0 g- {2 ~' D( A/ jEDMONTON - 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.

1 [7 m/ [+ n9 p) s3 _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.
/ k& W) A5 r4 @) _" `
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.

! B. F$ L6 q8 x$ o$ W) hBut most minimum wage earners are between 15 and 19-years-old and work in the hotel, retail and food service industries.
# D, R! d( \) @; k- _
! r! f2 l1 @& R, u" {4 i2 d* P2 TEmployment 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.

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