VICTORIA – B.C.’s lowest-paid workers will get a pay raise when the general minimum wage increases from $16.75 to $17.40 per hour on June 1, 2024.
This represents a 3.9% increase, consistent with B.C.’s average rate of inflation in 2023.
The alternate minimum rates, for residential caretakers, live-in home-support workers and camp leaders, will receive the same 3.9% increase on June 1. On Dec. 31, 2024, the minimum piece rates for 15 hand-harvested crops will also increase by the same percentage.
“B.C. has gone from having one of the lowest minimum wages in the country to the highest of all the provinces. We made a commitment to tie minimum-wage increases to the rate of inflation to prevent B.C.’s lowest-paid workers from falling behind,” said Harry Bains, Minister of Labour. “And today, we are enshrining that commitment into law.”
With the amendments in Bill 2, future increases to all minimum rates will be automatically determined by the previous year’s average inflation rate for B.C. This will provide certainty and predictability for workers and employers. Minimum-wage earners will be able to count on increases every year.
Most wage rates will increase on June 1 of each year, except for agricultural piece rates that will increase on Dec. 31 of each year to ensure crop producers will not have to adjust wages in the middle of the harvesting season.
Anita Huberman, President & CEO, Surrey Board of Trade, said, “This represents a 3.9% increase, even though British Columbia’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) in January 2024 was 3.0% higher (unadjusted) than in January 2023, and Canada’s CPI was up 2.9% (unadjusted) in January 2024 when compared to January 2023. Depending on what inflation metric is used, minimum wage increases could still be unsustainable as inflation is in itself unpredictable. It is imperative that the BC Government take action to focus on reducing costs to businesses by convening a commission to review taxes and red tape impacting businesses.”
