Quebec minimum wage to hit $9.50 in May

50-cent increase is the third in three years

Quebec's minimum wage rate will increase by 50 cents on May 1, 2010.

The 5.6-per-cent increase, the third in three years, will bring the minimum wage up to $9.50 an hour.

This represents a higher increase than inflation, which is at just 1.2 per cent, said Labour Minister Sam Hamad.

More than 320,000 workers will benefit from the increase, which shows the government is taking concrete steps to increase the buying power of low-income workers, said Hamad.

Since 2003, the minimum wage in the province has increased more than 30 per cent, climbing from $7.30 to $9.50 an hour.

In the same time, the consumer price index has increased just 13 per cent, said Hamad.

At $9.50 an hour, Quebec will have the third highest minimum wage in the country, tied with Newfoundland and Labrador and behind Ontario and Nunavut.

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