Alberta’s minimum wage workers will receive a 3.5 per cent wage increase on September 1, bringing their hourly earnings up to $9.75 from $9.40. Servers in bars and restaurants will continue to earn $9.05 per hour. The minimum wage for domestic workers, such as live-in nannies, will rise to $1,854 per month, and will be $389 per week for commission-based salespeople.
Based on a 37.5 hour work week, minimum wage earners can look forward to a $13 a week raise; equating to a before-tax weekly income of $403.13
The average minimum wage in Canada is $10.08. With the increase Alberta’s becomes the second-lowest, with Saskatchewan at $9.50. Nunavut tops the charts at $11.
Human Services Ministry public affairs officer Jay Fisher says that after taxes are subtracted, Alberta’s minimum wage is the second highest in the country.
The Ministry of Human Services estimates there are 25,000 people making minimum wage in the province. Alberta’s minimum wage increases are pegged to changes in the province’s average weekly earnings and the Consumer Price Index, which have recently risen 3.5 per cent. As of May, Alberta’s average weekly income was $1,057.08. As of July, the average rent for a one-bedroom residence in Calgary was $1,089 per month.
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