Minimum Hourly Wage Increasing to $16.75 in June

Published On: April 12, 2023Categories: BC, Employees, Employer Alerts, Employers

The minimum hourly wage in British Columbia, Canada will increase from $15.65 to $16.75 an hour on June 1, 2023. This 6.9% increase is in line with the average annual inflation rate over the past year and reflects the government’s commitment to tying annual minimum wage increases to inflation. Approximately 150,000 workers who earn less than $16.75 will benefit from this increase, including food service staff, grocery store workers, retail workers, and others who were essential workers during the pandemic.

The minimum wage in British Columbia has gradually increased from $10.45 per hour in 2015 to the highest amongst the 10 provinces.

To be adjust for such a significant increase, employers will need to review their own pricing. In addition to planning ahead to ensure all job postings for summer seasonal hires (which are traditionally paid at the minimum wage) mentions the new higher minimum wage, employers with employees earning the minimum wage will need to review the wages of supervisors, skilled workers and more senior employees to ensure that their wages are still competitive and offer a sufficient increment from the higher minimum wage.

If you want more information on this topic, you can contact us at:

Geoffrey Howard: ghoward@howardlaw.ca

604 424-9686

Sebastian Chern: schern@howardlaw.ca

604 424-9688