 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
By The Canadian Press4 ^4 n9 c; s: S$ {+ Z
, ~% g! J! H8 [( P( D' o/ m) z: W
EDMONTON - Alberta's lowest wage earners will get a bit of a break next month as the minimum wage increases by five per cent to $8.80 per hour. + w3 g$ w0 Y4 `0 j
4 N) d0 B1 q$ B* s0 ]
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.
3 ^, e" {9 @- Y5 n3 U7 p3 F6 n7 G) B- y
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.
- a2 J# y# ?) [, o
3 y& y, s% Y, W! EBut most minimum wage earners are between 15 and 19-years-old and work in the hotel, retail and food service industries. 8 _' U# |# c/ e" P( b
$ |/ n+ o4 ]) X9 Y6 YEmployment 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. 3 r/ j% t: b* m2 {
S, ]. C% _3 @$ M% G7 XAlberta uses a formula to set the minimum wage each year, with increases calculated each spring using the average weekly earnings for all sectors. |
|