Minimum wage in New Brunswick is expected to increase to $15.90 on April 1.
The province said five per cent of employees in New Brunswick were earning minimum wage, which is down from six per cent in 2024. It is an increase of 25 cents.
According to the Human Development Council in Saint John, the provincial living wage is 24.77, which is an hourly rate a household — with two working parents and two children — would require to satisfy basic needs “and live with dignity while enjoying a decent quality of life.”
The Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour said five per cent of all employees in the province were earning the minimum wage last year, a reduction of one per cent from 2024.
“A competitive minimum wage is essential to a productive province,” said Alyson Townsend, the minister responsible for labour. “Workers in every wage bracket are important to a thriving economy.”
The department said the minimum wage rate is indexed to New Brunswick’s consumer price index, rounded to the nearest five cents.
New Brunswick sits at the third lowest minimum wage in Canada, according to the Retail Council of Canada, only above Alberta and Saskatchewan.
