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BC's minimum wage is an increasingly relevant topic in 2024. Employees wish to make a living wage when working their full-time job so knowing the minimum amount of legal pay that employees can earn is vital information, especially with the hourly wage increase set to occur on June 1, 2024. What some are unaware of however are the laws surrounding minimum wage and the specifics of how those laws work.
Minimum wage is in place to provide a living wage to employees and to stop their exploitation. In 2023, BC increased its minimum wage to 16.75 per hour. In 2024, it is set to increase to 17.40 per hour to counteract BC’s inflation. This law applies to employees who are contracted for wages or salary and not those temporarily working for an employer.
BC's Minimum Wage does not apply to federally regulated employees and gig workers. Federal-regulated employees are those who work for services that extend beyond the province of BC such as airlines, banks, federal civil service, post offices, and inter-provincial transportation.
Unlike federally regulated employees, gig workers currently do not benefit from minimum wage. Gig workers do temporary or contractual work, so they are not legally recognized as employees. Examples of these include independent contractors, online platform workers, contract firm workers, on-call workers, and temporary workers, all of whom are outside of BC’s provincial minimum wage law protection.
If an employer asks you to come in to work and you report for work, you are entitled to be paid for at least two hours. All workers are also entitled to at least 2 weeks of paid vacation after working for 1 full year. For example, if you started your job on January 23, 2023, then you will be entitled to these benefits by January 23, 2024. If you leave your job before you take your vacation, your employer must give you your vacation pay which is 4% of your earnings. After 5 years with the same employer, it increases to 3 weeks of vacation and 6% vacation pay.
If you are a salaried employee, you do not get paid for overtime. Salaried employees are compensated through a fixed amount regardless of the amount of actual time worked.
It is important to know your workers’ rights and to read your contract when applying for a job. You then ensure that you are fairly compensated for your work according to BC’s employment laws.
Ashton College offers a live stream online course on British Columbia Employment Law. If you are interested in staying informed about BC's Employment Laws, register for the course today!
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