The number of minimum wage workers has doubled since 1998
The
number of low-income earners jumped from 5.2 per cent in 1998 to 10.4
per cent in 2018, with the biggest increases occurring over two key
periods.
number of low-income earners jumped from 5.2 per cent in 1998 to 10.4
per cent in 2018, with the biggest increases occurring over two key
periods.
The
first major increase happened right before the start of the global
financial crisis in 2008. As people lost well-paying positions, many
were forced into lower-paying jobs.
The second big bump happened in 2018, in tandem with minimum wage increases in three provinces.
“The
proportion of employees earning minimum wage rose to unprecedented
levels, as increases in the minimum wage levels in Ontario, Alberta and
British Columbia resulted in a number of existing employees joining the
ranks of minimum wage workers,” said the report.