First Living Wage certified IT company in the Fraser Valley

Kerkhoff Technologies is the first IT company in the Fraser Valley to become a certified Living Wage Employer. It has committed to pay its staff and contracted workers a Living Wage.

The living wage is the hourly amount a family needs to cover basic expenses. The calculation is based on a two-parent family with two children – the most common family unit in BC – with each parent working full-time. The Living Wage for the Fraser Valley is $16.75 an hour.

"Living wages are crucial for healthier families, communities, the economy, and reducing government debt. People working hard at even a basic job should be able to cover the essentials of life. Everyone has the right to provide an income for their family.

While we already paid above a living wage, I still wanted to certify as a Living Wage Employer to encourage all employers to do the same.” Wim Kerkhoff, Founder and CEO of Kerkhoff Technologies

Kerkhoff Technologies is an IT consulting firm with a growing team of nearly 30 staff, specializing in Windows and Linux.

"A people-first policy will result in profit - from a financial perspective, I believe that taking care of our people with sufficient pay, training, respect, benefits and so forth is great for loyalty and retention. Replacing, attracting, and training people is expensive so investing in retention is good business sense.

Hard-working people should be able to focus on improving their skills and earning more money without worrying about where the next meal or rent payment is coming from. This will allow them not only take better care of themselves, but also direct resources towards taking good care of those who depend upon them most - which in turn reduces health care and other costs for all tax payers." Wim Kerkhoff, Founder and CEO of Kerkhoff Technologies

Most children growing up in poverty in BC live with at least one adult working full-time, full-year. In other words, child poverty in BC is very much a low-wage story. For most of the past decade, BC’s child-poverty rate has remained at one in five children living in poverty.

“We’re delighted that Kerkhoff Technologies has become a Living Wage Employer. We hope it encourages other employers in the Fraser Valley to join the Living Wage movement. Paying a living wage is good for workers, employers and the local community” said Anastasia French, Living Wage for Families BC

Over the past two years, the number of Living Wage Employers in BC has more than doubled – there are now 350 Living Wage Employers in BC.

Employers have found paying a living wage to be a key tool in their post-Covid economic recovery. 97% of Living Wage Employers in BC have found some benefit to being part of the program.

Certifying as a Living Wage Employer is a voluntary commitment employers make to invest in their communities and local economies.