Province announces boost to minimum wage in April

New Brunswick’s minimum wage will increase to $15.90 per hour on April 1, the provincial government has confirmed.

The change – which is under the Employment Standards Act – represents an increase of 25 cents from the current rate of $15.65 per hour, noted the Department of Post‑Secondary Education, Training and Labour and reiterated in the Employment Standards Act guidance.

The increase covers those paid by salary, commission or piece work, who must receive at least minimum wage for every hour worked, according to the provincial government.

The province said its minimum wage is indexed to New Brunswick’s consumer price index (CPI), rounded to the nearest five cents. The CPI grew by 1.7 per cent in 2025.

‘Competitive minimum wage’

Labour Minister Alyson Townsend described the new rate as part of a broader economic approach.

“A competitive minimum wage is essential to a productive province,” Townsend said. “Workers in every wage bracket are important to a thriving economy.”

In New Brunswick, five per cent of all employees in the province were earning the minimum wage last year, down from six per cent in 2024, according to the provincial government.

It also reported that nearly two‑thirds (64 per cent) of those earning minimum wage were working part time, and just over one‑third (35 per cent) of minimum wage earners were 15 to 19 years of age.

“Many of the people earning minimum wage are students, either saving to continue their studies after high school or already pursuing a post‑secondary education,” Townsend said. “We’re investing today in the workforce of tomorrow.”

Nova Scotia’s minimum wage will rise twice in 2026, reaching $17 an hour by October under a plan endorsed by a provincial review committee and accepted by the government.

Overtime rate and reporting pay requirements

Aside from the increase in minimum wage in New Brunswick, there are – according to the provincial government – special minimum wage rates for:

• certain categories of employees in government construction work (road, bridge and building construction)

• counselors and program staff at residential summer camps

Meanwhile, the minimum overtime wage rate will also increase. The overtime wage rate is set at one and a half times the minimum wage. As of April 1, 2026, the rate will be $23.85 per hour, according to the New Brunswick government. Employers must pay at least this minimum overtime pay “for each hour an employee works beyond 44 hours during a work week,” it said.

The rules state that employers have the right to require employees to work overtime hours, but “must pay employees all overtime hours at the minimum overtime rate.” The banking of hours is not permitted.

The Act also sets minimum pay for reporting for work, also known as minimum reporting wage. An eligible employee who has been asked to report must be paid the greater of “three hours pay at the minimum wage or the minimum overtime rate for those hours” or the hours actually worked at their regular wage rate.

To be eligible, an employee must report as scheduled or requested, have a regular wage rate of less than twice the minimum wage, and be regularly employed for more than three consecutive hours in a shift. Where an employee works split shifts and the total hours in the day exceed three, the minimum reporting wage does not apply.

Here are the current minimum wage rates across Canada: