What is Minimum Wage?
What is the minimum wage?Effective April 1, 2008 the minimum wage is $8.50 per hour.When do employers need to give employees a raise?Employers decide if and when employees receive pay raises. There is no requirement for employers to give employees a raise, regardless of how long employees have worked for them.Employees must be paid minimum wage. When minimum wage increases, some employees' wages will go up, to ensure they are making the new minimum wage. Must everyone earn at least minimum wage?Yes, all employees must receive minimum wage unless they are not covered by provincial employment standards or are excluded from the legislation. Excluded employees are usually those working in agriculture, domestic service for less than 12 hours a week, or those in a federal or provincial government-sponsored training program. For more information on employees in domestic service or nannies, see the Domestic workers and live-in nannies page.Does minimum wage apply in construction?The minimum wage applies in residential construction and building maintenance. There are separate minimum wage rules for the heavy construction sector and the industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) construction sector. More information on the construction industry can be found on these pages: Construction industry, Heavy wage schedule and ICI wage schedule.Does minimum wage apply to students and part-time employees?The minimum wage applies equally to all employees regardless of age or the number of hours they work. There are restrictions on the type of work people under 18 years of age can do. See the Young workers page for more information.Does minimum wage apply to employees paid by incentive?Yes, employees who are paid incentives, like commission salespeople or flat rate mechanics, must earn at least minimum wage in each pay period. Employers must top up or add wages when an employee has not earned at least minimum wage in each pay period.Are employees, who are paid minimum wage, entitled to overtime?Employees who earn minimum wage and work overtime are entitled to be paid at 1 ½ times their wages. More information on calculating overtime can be found on the overtime page.How often must employees be paid?Employees must be paid at least semi-monthly (twice a month) and within 10 days of the end of a pay period.Must the length of shifts be at least a certain amount of time?No, employers control schedules and can set shifts that are best for their businesses. Sometimes very short shifts are needed. Once employees report to work, there are some protections for cancelling or shortening shifts. See the Wages for reporting for work page for more details.Can employers deduct the costs of employees’ room and meals from wages?Deductions for room and meals can be deducted if employees actually receive the meals and occupy the rooms. These deductions cannot take an employee below minimum wage in a pay period by more than $1 for each meal and $7 per week for the room. More information can be found on the Deductions page.For more information contact the Employment Standards Branch:
This is a general overview and the information used is subject to change. For detailed information, please refer to current legislation including The Employment Standards Code, or contact the Employment Standards Branch to ask for advice Date Published: April 22, 2008 |
