BC's minimum wage is going up and here's when you will see a pay bump

B.C.'s minimum wage is going up soon, meaning some workers in the province will be getting a raise.

The increase to the general minimum wage will go up by 3.9%, which is consistent with the province's average rate of inflation in 2023.

On June 1, the minimum wage will rise from $16.75 an hour to $17.40.

"B.C. has gone from having one of the lowest minimum wages in the country to the highest of all the provinces," Harry Bains, B.C.'s Minister of Labour said in a press release.

"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."

The province also announced alternate minimum wages for residential caretakers, live-in home-support workers and camp leaders will receive the same 3.9% increase on June 1.

Later this year on December 31, 2024, the minimum piece rates for 15 hand-harvested crops will also go up by the same percentage.

"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.," the province said adding that it will provide "certainty and predictability" for workers.

In the coming years, the wage bumps will increase on June 1 of each year, except for agricultural piece rates which will rise on December 1. The province said that's to ensure crop producers don't have to adjust wages in the middle of the harvesting season.

The last time B.C.'s minimum wage increased was on June 1, 2023, when the pay went from $15.65 per hour to $16.75. The pay bump brought the province's minimum wage to one of the highest in Canada.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.