• Living Wage Employers pay all direct and contract staff the living wage rate for their region.
• Living Wage Employers recognize that paying a living wage is an investment in the long-term prosperity of the economy.  
• We all have a role to play in ending poverty. The minimum wage is a government response to address working poverty. The living wage is an employer’s opportunity to address the same problem. 

Paying a living wage

The living wage is a bare-bones calculation that looks at the amount that a family of four needs to earn to meet their expenses. The living wage includes costs like rent and groceries as well as items like extended health care and two weeks savings for each adult. It does not include debt repayment or savings for future plans.

To calculate the living wage rate, employers take into account their employees’ total wage plus benefits. If employees receive non-mandatory benefits, the living wage rate is reduced. See our benefits calculator for details.
 
Learn more about becoming a Living Wage Employer.

What are the benefits of a living wage?

Good for employers

Employers have found that implementing a living wage has increased their employee recruitment and retention. Vancity saw that the most significant impact was the swelling of pride in all staff after implementing a living wage. Staff at Living Wage Employers are proud to contribute to a company that ensures that no one is left behind.

"A living wage supports our organization's mission to promote equality, fairness and social inclusion." - BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre

Good for our community

We all pay for poverty in our communities. We pay in increased use of emergency health services when individuals aren’t able to afford to fill prescriptions. Our education system is stretched when parents aren’t able to support their children’s education because they are working multiple jobs. Investing in a living wage is investing in the health of our communities.

 Good for the economy

When low-wage workers see an increase in their wages they spend their money locally. A living wage allows families to participate in the social, civic and cultural lives of their communities. They support local business and participate in community events. We all benefit when we reduce poverty in our communities. 

Find out how to become a Living Wage Employer 

Find out who is a Living Wage Employer in BC 

The minimum wage is the same as the living wage

The minimum wage is different than the living wage. The minimum wage is the legislated minimum set by the provincial government. Thousands of families making the current minimum wage in BC are still living below the poverty line. A living wage calls on employers to meet a higher standard, to ensure that wages for their staff and major contractors reflect the true costs of living in a community and that parents can earn what they need to support their families.

Companies hire fewer employees if paying the living wage increases their labour costs

Studies show that businesses usually absorb cost increases related to living wage policies through a combination of price and productivity increases, reduced turnover and redistribution of staff. Most workplaces don't have staff that they can do without. When BC raised its minimum wage from $8/hour to $10.25/hour in a relatively short amount of time there was a very small (1.6%) reduction in the employment rate for youth between the ages of 15 and 24 in BC (The Case for Increasing the Minimum Wage, 2015). This is a very small number and we can't be sure that the 1.6% reduction in the employment rate for youth was entirely due to the change in minimum wage or if there were other factors that changed how many youth were working.

Low wages only affect students and young people – they don't need a living wage

A significant number of low-wage workers have families. Paying the living wage will lift these families out of poverty. In BC, one out every three poor children live in families with at least one adult working full-time, year-round (BC Child Poverty Report Card). For example, if we look at workers earning $12-$15/hour only 5% are teenagers and 21% were young adults (The Case for Increasing the Minimum Wage, 2015). Many families across BC are struggling to make ends meet on low wages.

Living wages hurt small businesses

A living wage policy is good for the local economy. Small businesses draw their customers from the local community, and higher incomes allow families to purchase more goods and services in their own neighbourhoods.

 If wages increase, prices in stores will go up

Costs rise all the time without workers receiving a pay increase; wages are just one of many factors contributing to the cost of an item. In addition, living wage policies cover only a small percentage of the labour force. When Seattle committed to raise their minimum wage to $15/hour researchers started studying consumer prices for goods. They found that the increase in minimum wage had no impact on the prices of goods, that costs went up by the same amount in Seattle as they did in surrounding communities that didn't see a raise to their minimum wage (University of Washington Minimum Wage Study, 2016).

Workers need to educate their way out of poverty

Under current government policies it is nearly impossible for low-wage workers to afford education or training so they can qualify for higher-paying positions and still have the time and money needed to care for their children effectively. In addition, the business sector will always need low-skilled service workers, such as janitors, cleaners and other support staff, in order to run smoothly and maintain service standards. Listen to Mary Lyn Diana from the Hospital Employees' Union talk about her attempts to educate herself out of poverty.

A living wage is the hourly amount a family needs to cover basic expenses

These basic expenses include: 

• Food
• Clothing
• Rental housing
• Child care
• Transportation
• Small savings to cover illness or emergencies

The living wage calculation is based on a two-parent family with two children – the most common family unit in BC – and each parent working full-time.

The living wage changes based on costs in each region. Find living wage rates across BC.

The Living Wage for Families Campaign encourages employers to pay a living wage as well as advocates for government policies that would help families make ends meet.

A living wage does not cover additional expenses such as:

• Debt repayment from credit cards, loans or other interest payments 
• Future savings for home ownership, retirement or children’s university education 
• Anything beyond minimal recreation, entertainment and holiday costs 
• Costs of caring for a disabled, seriously ill or elderly family member 

For full details on the Metro Vancouver living wage calculation, see Working for a Living Wage: Making Paid Work Meet Basic Family Needs in Metro Vancouver by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - BC Office (CCPA-BC).

Join the call for an affordable and quality $10 a Day child care plan. 

More and more British Columbians work in low-wage jobs that do not pay enough to live on

Many children in BC live in families 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. The current rate is 20.3%, as reported by First Call's  Child Poverty Report Card.   

Poor children are being raised in poor families. Of the 27 factors identified as having an impact on child development, up to 80% were seen to improve as family income increases.

Take Action on Poverty!

A living wage lifts working families out of poverty

A living wage is different than a minimum wage. The minimum wage is the legislated minimum set by the provincial government. The minimum wage should be set at a rate high enough to lift an individual worker out of poverty. An adequate minimum wage is the government’s responsibility to address working poverty. 

A living wage is an opportunity for employers to do better. A living wage calls on employers to meet a higher standard for their both staff and major contractors, to ensure that wages reflect the true costs of living in a community and that parents can earn what they need to support their families. More than 200 Living Wage Employers across BC agree and have certified with the Living Wage for Families Campaign.

The Living Wage for Families also advocates for policies that would positively impact families. We support the call for quality and affordable child care as well as for housing policies that would help low-wage families make ends meet.