Québec minimum wage to go up to $15.25 per hour as of May 1

As of May 1, the minimum wage in Québec will increase by $1 per hour to $15.25 per hour.

The minimum wage payable to tipped employees will be increased by $0.80 to $12.20 per hour.

“I am convinced that the increase in the minimum wage that I am announcing today is part of these initiatives and that it will promote the participation of Québecers in the labour market to counter the high rate of job vacancies that currently remains,” said Jean Boulet, Québec's minister of labour.

He believes that the difficult economic context requires “concrete actions” to improve the purchasing power of low-income earners “while respecting the ability of small businesses to pay, especially in the regions.”

The FTQ, Parti Québécois, and Québec solidaire were all asking for the minimum wage to be raised to $18 an hour. The increase will benefit almost 299,000 employees, including just over 164,000 women.