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By The Canadian Press7 d7 }1 M/ @) G" a" |/ Z
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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.
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| @& T( r; S4 OThat 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. / L, j' s* ~7 A' J
, d# z4 q. D) Z7 YAlberta'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. 1 o( {- h8 \0 w8 M% m( u4 ]% S
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But most minimum wage earners are between 15 and 19-years-old and work in the hotel, retail and food service industries.
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# u8 |( W6 h, ~Employment 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.
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Alberta uses a formula to set the minimum wage each year, with increases calculated each spring using the average weekly earnings for all sectors. |
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