The Proprietor Review

BC Minium wage increase June 1 2026

The current general minimum wage in British Columbia is **$18.25 per hour**.This rate went into effect on **June 1, 2026**, following a 2.1% increase tied to the province’s average inflation rate from the previous year.There are also a few specific minimum rates for certain types of employment in B.C.: * **App-based ride-hailing and delivery workers:** $21.89 per hour of “engaged time” (the time spent actively fulfilling a request). * **Live-in camp leaders:** $145.64 per day. * **Live-in home support workers:** $135.88 per day. * **Liquor servers:** Paid the standard general minimum wage of $18.25 per hour.

History; Random take

Taken October 23rd 2025…

The current general minimum wage in British Columbia is $17.85 per hour, effective as of June 1, 2025.This rate applies to most employees in the province.There are also specific minimum rates for other types of workers, such as: *

Live-in camp leaders:

$142.61 per day (or part day)

*

Live-in home support workers:

$133.05 per day (or part day) * **App-based ride-hail and delivery workers (engaged time): $20.88 per hour, plus a per-kilometer vehicle allowance.

Mandatory Benefits

That’s an excellent and crucial question for any employer in British Columbia. The total cost to an employer is significantly higher than the employee’s gross wage or salary.A common rule of thumb is that the true cost of an employee can be 1.2 to 1.4 times their base salary, though this can vary widely based on salary level, industry, and the benefits package offered.The total cost is broken down into four main categories of mandatory and statutory costs:1. Mandatory Payroll Contributions

Matching Employer Costs

(Employer’s Share)These are amounts the employer must contribute directly based on the employee’s insurable and pensionable earnings.| Contribution | Employer Rate (Approximate/General) | Notes ||—|—|—|| Canada Pension Plan (CPP) | Matches employee’s contribution (5.95% for 2024) | Paid on earnings between an annual basic exemption (e.g., $3,500) and the Year’s Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE). There is also a second tier (CPP2) for higher earners. || Employment Insurance (EI) | 1.4 times the employee’s premium (~2.324% of insurable earnings) | Paid on insurable earnings up to the annual maximum. |2. Provincial Payroll TaxesBritish Columbia has its own provincial tax based on your total payroll.| Tax | Employer Rate | Notes ||—|—|—|| Employer Health Tax (EHT) | 0% to 1.95%

| Small employers (payroll \le \$1,000,000) are exempt.

The rate is tiered: <ul><li>Payroll \le \$1,000,000: 0%</li><li>Payroll >\$1,500,000: 1.95% on the entire payroll.</li><li>There is a “notch rate” for payroll between those amounts.</li></ul> |3. Workers’ Compensation (WorkSafeBC Premiums)Employers must pay premiums to WorkSafeBC, which provides workplace accident and disability insurance.| Cost | Employer Rate | Notes ||—|—|—|| WorkSafeBC Premiums | Varies by Industry | The rate is based on the industry’s risk, your company’s claims history, and your total assessable payroll. It can range from very low to much higher depending on the type of work. |4.

Statutory Paid Time Off and Benefits

These are mandatory benefits that translate to a direct cost for the employer.

| Benefit | Minimum Entitlement in BC | Cost Equivalent ||—|—|—|| Annual Vacation Pay | 4% of total wages after 1 year of employment. 6% after 5 years. | An additional 4% to 6% of gross pay. || Statutory Holidays | 11 paid general holidays per year. | The cost of paying an employee for days they do not work, plus premium pay if they do work. || Paid Sick Leave | 5 paid days per year after 90 days of employment. | The cost of 5 days of wages per year. || Statutory Leaves | Unpaid job-protected leave (e.g., maternity, parental, bereavement). | The cost of filling the temporary vacancy or managing the absence. |Estimating the Total Cost

Labour Burden

For a small-to-medium business in BC with a payroll under $1,000,000 (meaning they are exempt from EHT), the mandatory non-wage costs typically add up to around 8% to 15% of the employee’s salary, plus the cost of vacation, sick pay, and other leaves.| Example: Employee Salary of $60,000 | Calculation | Annual Employer Cost (Approximate) ||—|—|—|| Gross Salary | | $60,000 || CPP (Employer Share) | \sim 5.95\% | \sim\$3,570 || EI (Employer Share) | \sim 2.324\% | \sim\$1,394 || Vacation Pay (4%) | 4\% of gross | \sim\$2,400 || WorkSafeBC | (Varies, e.g., 1.5\% of payroll) | \sim\$900 || EHT | (Assumed 0% for small payroll) | $0 || Approximate Total Cost | | **$\text{68,264** || Total Cost as a Multiple of Salary | | ~1.14x |

Note:

This estimate does not include the cost of typical non-mandatory benefits like extended health and dental insurance, bonuses, training, or recruitment costs, which are often significant additions.