According to a recent analysis by the Human Development Council, the living wage in four cities in New Brunswick is more over $20 per hour. It claims there is an excessive pay disparity between the province’s existing wage and the living wage.
According to Nathalie Sturgeon. November 30, 2023 The province of New Brunswick said on Monday that the minimum wage would rise to $15.30 an hour on April 1st, although it will still be much less than what is deemed a livable wage.
Minimum Wage To Rise
The province currently has one of the lowest rates in the nation, second only to Saskatchewan, at $14.75. With the 55-cent raise, New Brunswick will no longer have the lowest minimum wage among the Atlantic provinces as of April; instead, it will remain in second place.
At $15.60, Newfoundland and Labrador will have the highest in all of Atlantic Canada. The minimum wage in P.E.I. will rise to $15.40, while the minimum pay in Nova Scotia will rise to $15.20.
“Through the past five years, our government has made sure that wages in New Brunswick are competitive with those in Atlantic Canada,” stated a press statement from Arlene Dunn, the province’s minister of post-secondary education, training, and labor in New Brunswick.
“We established predictable minimum wage increases in 2019 to protect earners from inflation increases and to help businesses better prepare for increases when they occur.”
The minimum wage in the province is based on the consumer price index and is rounded to the closest five cents. In the year 2023, the CPI increased by 3.6%.
According to the statement, there has been a 36% increase in the minimum wage since 2019. It stated, “The indexing of minimum wage increases to the consumer price index be reviewed every two years, as mandated by government legislation.”
“This year, a review will be conducted.” According to the press release, individuals who are “looking for help reaching their career goals or seeking higher-paying work” could stop by one of the province’s 19-Working NB offices.
Living Wage
The “living wage,” or what two working adults would need to make to support a family of four, is much more than the minimum wage in the province, according to a research released in November by the Human Development Council of New Brunswick.
The HDC reports that the living wage in Fredericton is $24.50, in Saint John it is $23.35, in Moncton it is $22.75, and in Bathurst it is $21.65.
According to the research, “living wages in New Brunswick communities are at their highest point since we began calculating them in 2018.”
It stated that raising the minimum wage gives New Brunswickers more purchasing power and that in order to “ensure that everyone, regardless of work status, can live as fully participating members of our communities,” government grants and subsidies must rise in line with inflation.
