Alberta to boost minimum wage by 40 cent to $8.80/hr starting April 1.

Hathaway

By The Canadian Press
2 v8 M7 w4 M0 s$ h& o
( L  g$ \# L1 xEDMONTON - 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.
5 y* U9 k6 @+ m9 @6 g
7 g0 ~% G3 Z8 c1 G! uThat 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.

Alberta'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.
' ^3 `6 A0 t! ^! W* M
9 ~/ F2 n" w6 i* \3 xBut most minimum wage earners are between 15 and 19-years-old and work in the hotel, retail and food service industries.

- `2 h0 v' Y! C+ j( }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.
4 U9 k2 i8 m* n$ r1 b' q) \( D  x( B
. o' F9 C/ k' ^% B, I) gAlberta uses a formula to set the minimum wage each year, with increases calculated each spring using the average weekly earnings for all sectors.

miq

YZSUNNY

烟雨江南