
Low-income workers across the province are about to see a very-welcome pay increase.
On January 17, 2018, the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Solidarity announced that Quebec’s minimum wage would increase to $12/hour on May 1, 2018.
The 75 cent increase will benefit “the quality of life of low-income workers, encourage work incentives, increase disposable income, and help reduce the incidence of poverty, without affecting employment and income,” says Labour Minister Dominique Vien.
Tomorrow’s increase in wage is expected to benefit approximately 352,900 employees. Of that group, 60% (214,300) are women and 40% (138,600) are men.
Hausse du salaire minimum, qui passerait de 11,25 $ à 12 $ l’heure le 1er mai prochain pour respecter l’engagement d’atteindre, en 2020, un ratio de 50 % entre le salaire minimum et le salaire horaire moyen, sans l’excéder. https://t.co/6c7zf4vM80 https://t.co/dI8kY51UqM
— Secrétariat travail (@TravailQuebec) January 17, 2018
Vien also explains that the increase follows the “framework of [a] four-year plan” which in 2020 will achieve “a ratio equivalent to 50% of the average hourly wage.”
Soon to be sitting at $12/hour, Quebec will have the fifth highest minimum wage in Canada, sitting behind Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Ontario. They will soon be surpassed by British Columbia, whose minimum wage rises to $12.65/hour on June 1, 2018.