According to StatCan, approximately 763,000 people were making below $15/hour in 2021 in Ontario. On January 1, 2022, that will change for a significant portion of the province’s workforce.
While the minimum wage already increased in 2021, the Ontario Government has announced that an additional increase will take effect as of January 1, 2022, along with a few other changes.
On January 1, 2022, the new general minimum wage will increase to $15.00 per hour. In addition, the minimum wage for liquor servers will be eliminated, and they will also fall under the $15 per hour general minimum wage. This is nearly a 20% increase in the minimum wage for liquor servers.
Students under 18 continue to have their own minimum wage, which is increasing to $14.10 per hour. Homeworkers, hunting guides, fishing guides, and wilderness guides will also see an increase to their minimum wage.
If you are currently employing individuals earning less than $15 per hour, you will need to increase those employees’ wages as of January 1, 2022.
If you have employees who are salary and who are not exempt from the minimum wage/hours of work under the Employment Standards Act, 2000, ensure those employees are making more than the minimum wage when their annual salary is converted to an hourly figure.
If you have any questions about minimum wage increases or employment law in general, get in touch and let’s talk!
And if you would like to receive any more upcoming changes by email, send an email to admin@bridgelegalhr.ca asking to be added to our email list. Our Bridge Legal & HR Solutions team constantly monitors government changes, so you don’t have to.
