Thousands of B.C. workers to see minimum wage increase next week

British Columbia’s minimum wage will rise to $18.25 an hour on June 1, in line with the province’s annual inflation-based adjustment.

“Working people in our province are feeling the pressure of inflation,” Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside said in a statement.

“That’s why we acted to bring in annual minimum-wage increases, which have helped paycheques keep up with increasing costs of essentials like food and transportation. This matters for everyone, and especially for minimum-wage workers, the people doing the jobs so many of us rely on every day,” she said.

The province says approximately 141,300 employees in B.C. earned minimum wage or less in 2025.

The increase applies to several wage categories, including resident caretakers, live-in home-support workers, live-in camp leaders and piece-rate agricultural workers. It also applies to the special minimum wage for app-based ride-hailing and delivery-service workers, established in September 2024.

For app-based ride-hailing and delivery workers, the minimum wage will rise to $21.89 per hour of engaged time, effective June 1.

Minimum piece rates for hand-harvested crops will increase by the same percentage on December 31, with the later timing intended to avoid wage changes during the harvesting season.

B.C. introduced automatic annual minimum wage increases tied to inflation through changes to the Employment Standards Act in 2024, creating a system the province says provides more predictable wage growth after years of inconsistent increases.

That includes a nine-year stretch without any increases between 2002 and 2010, as well as additional years where increases did not occur in 2013 and 2014.

In 2011, B.C.’s minimum wage sat at $8 per hour, the lowest in Canada at the time.

Since 2017, minimum wage levels have steadily increased, moving B.C. to among the highest in the country. B.C. now has the highest minimum wage among all Canadian provinces.

The new rate takes effect Monday, June 1.