Everything you thought you knew about minimum wage workers is wrong
February 16, 2022
On October. 1, 2021, the Saskatchewan government raised the provincial minimum wage from $11.45 to $11.81.
That’s right. A whopping thirty six cents. One quarter, a dime and a penny. Heck, Canada doesn’t even make pennies anymore!
Saskatchewan has the lowest minimum wage in the country, with the exception of New Brunswick ($11.75). In British Columbia, workers make $15.20/hour.
Many minimum wage workers are the very people who were the most exposed in the first wave of COVID-19 and keep our province running in the face of all the uncertainty and danger. Imagine how their lives could change making $15/hour. It’s possible.
We’re here to bust myths about the minimum wage and the people who make it:
MYTH: Keeping worker wages low is better for the economy.
Low wages actually harm our economy. It’s this policy that has led to Saskatchewan having one of the worst rates of job losses in the country.
MYTH: Most minimum wage workers are teenagers living with their parents, working part-time for extra cash.
In reality:
• 1 in 3 minimum wage workers are post-secondary graduates,
• 74% are adults, not teenagers; and
• 38% are 35 years or older
(Source: Stats Canada, 2020)
The profile of minimum wage workers is shifting and trending toward older workers. People with bills to pay, mouths to feed, and who keep the wheels of this province turning. Moreover, this is about gender equality: 59% of minimum wage workers are women.
MYTH: Keeping the minimum wage low supports small business owners.
The truth is 51% of the minimum wage workers are working for big businesses, making big gains for their employers and not sharing in the rewards. Big retail chains are one of the biggest employers of frontline workers and have made huge profits. They can afford to pay their workers fairly.
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Our government should work for the people, not corporate interests. It’s time they acknowledge the work of hundreds of thousands of Saskatchewan workers and to ensure their needs are covered, starting with raising the minimum wage.
