Minimum wage-workers in Nova Scotia will soon be pocketing extra cash on pay day.
The province announced Tuesday that minimum wage will rise to $10 an hour for experienced workers, starting October 1, 2011.
The current rate is $9.65, which means workers will see a 3.6 per cent increase come October.
Workers with less than three months experience in the work for which they were hired will see their wages rise to $9.50 an hour.
The Minimum Wage Review Committee recommended a series of minimum wage increases in January 2008, with the last of the scheduled increases taking place in October 2010.
The committee met again to make recommendations on how to proceed in 2011 and released a report in March.
The Minister of Labour and Advanced Education says a variety of organizations and individuals representing employers, employees, businesses and labour and advocacy groups submitted responses to the report.
"The minimum wage rate is an important benchmark that must continue to reflect the current economic climate," says Marilyn More in a statement released Tuesday.
"This increase is consistent with increases across the country and brings the rate back in line in terms of buying power with where it was in the mid 1970s."
The increase also brings Nova Scotia in line with the other Atlantic provinces, which have all either announced plans to increase their wages to $10 an hour, or are currently at that rate.
More than 50,000 Nova Scotians – roughly 16 per cent of the workforce – will be affected by the increase.
Nova Scotia will see a second increase in April 2012.
