2018 Alberta Low Wage Report
Public Interest Alberta obtained the following information from Statistics Canada’s monthly Labour Force Survey. It indicates the average number of employed Albertans in each category for the year ending June 30, 2018. The total number of employed Albertans in this period was 1,913,200. The minimum wage will increase from $13.60 per hour to $15.00 per hour on October 1, 2018.
More than 300,000 Alberta workers will receive a raise on October 1st because of the minimum wage increase.
- 302,300 employed Albertans earn less than the incoming minimum wage of $15 per hour (15.8%).
- 359,100 earn less than $16 per hour (18.8%).
- 159,500 earn the current minimum wage of $13.60 per hour (8.3%).
More than 60 percent of workers receiving a minimum wage raise are women.
- 189,400 workers earning less than the incoming minimum wage of $15 per hour are women (62.7%).
- 100,100 workers earning the current minimum wage of $13.60 per hour are women (62.8%).
- 223,200 workers earning less than $16.00 per hour are women (62.2%).
More than three-quarters of workers receiving a minimum wage raise are 20 years of age or older.
- 233,300 are 20 years of age or older (77.2%).
o 163,300 are between 20 and 44 years old (54.0%).
o 59,300 are between 45 and 64 years old (19.6%).
o 10,700 are 65 years of age or older (3.5%).
Download our printable fact sheet
Read our media release showing what the data means for Albertans working in the province.
Regional Fact Sheets
- Athabasca - Grande Prairie - Peace River
- Calgary
- Edmonton
- Lethbridge
- Medicine Hat
- Red Deer
- Wood Buffalo - Cold Lake
Public Interest Alberta in the news
Minimum wage debate Segment on Alberta Primetime (CTV Two)
300,000 Albertans to benefit from minimum wage boost Interview on The Ryan Jespersen Show (630 CHED)
Minimum wage increase to benefit Red Deer workers by Susan Zielinski, Red Deer Advocate
300,000 Albertans will be getting a raise next month by Daily Hive Calgary
One in six working Albertans can expect a raise when minimum wage goes up Oct. 1, advocacy group estimates by Hamdi Issawi, Star Metro Edmonton
Thousands of Red Deerians to receive minimum wage increase by Troy Gillard, rdnewsNOW
Pending minimum wage hike will boost local economy: PIA by Tim Kalinowski, Lethbridge Herald
Chamber joins poverty-reduction group in opposition to minimum wage increase by Collin Gallant, Medicine Hat News (Low Wage Report mentioned)
Group takes issue with minimum wage approach by Collin Gallant, Medicine Hat News
Better wages won't fix poverty: Thrive by Collin Gallant, Medicine Hat News (Low Wage Report mentioned)
Minimum Wage Increases in Alberta by Ania Werbeniuk, Lexology
Who's driving the Thrive bus? Letter to the Editor, Medicine Hat News
Minimum wage increase will have major pain by Dayla Lahring, St. Albert Gazette (Low Wage Report mentioned)
25% of workforce gets raise by Collin Gallant, Medicine Hat News
A guide to Alberta's new $15 minimum wage and what it will mean for the economy by Kieran Leavitt & Brennan Doherty, Star Metro Edmonton
Alberta's minimum-wage workers tell us what $15 an hour really means for their bottom line by Hamdi Issawi & Brennan Doherty, StarMetro Edmonton
What does the increase in minimum wage mean for you? Alberta at Noon (CBC Radio)
Goes too far or about darn time, Alberta minimum wage hike continues to divide by David Bell, CBC News
$15 minimum wage increase met with mixed reception from public by Evan J. Pretzer, The Stony Plain Reporter
Minimum wage increase draws mixed reviews by Eric Bowling, Westlock News
