Minimum wage to reach $15 an hour in October
Posted Feb 3, 2023 03:00:00 PM.
Minimum wage in Nova Scotia will be going up sooner than originally planned.
The province announced Friday morning the wage will rise to $15 an hour in October, that's six months before previously scheduled, as recommended by the Minimum Wage Review Committee.
“The minimum wage rate impacts the lives of workers and businesses, and we know the rising cost of inflation has been difficult for both,” said Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration Jill Balser in a news release.
“After further consultation, we are accepting the full set of recommendations put forward by the Minimum Wage Review Committee. Given the unexpected and significant increase in inflation, the committee carefully considered the impacts and put forth a balanced plan.”
The current minimum wage is $13.60, which will bump up to $14.50 on April 1 before rising another 50 cents in October.
Then as of next April, the annual minimum wage increase will be based on the national consumer price index (CPI), plus an additional one per cent.
According to the province, around seven per cent of workers, or about 28,500 Nova Scotians, made minimum wage from April 2021 to March 2022. Most worked in the retail trade, followed by food and accommodation industries.
