The NWT’s minimum wage will climb to $16.05 per hour as of Sept. 1, up from the existing $15.20 per hour and representing a 5.6 per cent increase.
The territorial government made the announcement on Monday morning. The GNWT states that the higher minimum wage “reflects the percentage changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the average hourly wage for 2021 and 2022.”
“In 2022, the GNWT changed the way it calculates and adjusts the minimum wage. This change allows businesses to be better able to plan for minimum wage adjustments, as they will occur annually on Sept. 1, and makes sure minimum wage earners receive regular, anticipated pay increases,” the territorial government wrote in a news release. “The new method of calculating the minimum wage has achieved a moderate and predictable increase to the minimum wage rate, which provides stability and certainty to the territory’s business community while helping residents of the NWT keep up with the cost of living.”
The Department of Education, Culture, and Employment plans to conduct a public survey in the fall to get feedback on the new method for adjusting the minimum wage.
The last time the NWT’s minimum wage went up was on Sept. 1, 2021 when it rose to $15.20 from $13.46.
Nunavut’s minimum wage is $16. In Yukon, it’s $16.77.