TORONTO — The Ontario government is increasing the minimum wage to $16.55 an hour on October 1, 2023. This 6.8 per cent pay raise for low-income workers builds on the government’s steady and predictable increases every year to help families offset the rising cost of living.
“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is putting workers in the driver’s seat of their careers, and their lives,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “This latest increase is a fair and balanced approach that means more money in their pockets so they can support their families and continuing building a stronger Ontario for all of us.”
A worker making the general minimum wage and working 40 hours per week will see an annual pay increase of nearly $2,200. There were 942,400 workers earning $16.55 per hour or below in 2022, the majority of whom are women.
This minimum wage increase builds on the government’s work to make Ontario the best place to live, work and raise a family. Most recently, the government introduced the Working for Workers Act, 2023, which will, if passed, provide ground-breaking protections for millions of workers in Ontario.