Minimum Wage Increases to $16.50

Starting today, October 1, Nova Scotia’s minimum wage increases to $16.50 per hour from $15.70.

This is the second increase this year, bringing the total increase for 2025 to $1.30.

“Affordability continues to be a priority for our government,” said Nolan Young, Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration. “Increasing the minimum wage twice this year will help to put more money in the pockets of thousands of workers and help them manage the rising cost of living.”

Minimum wage regulations require that the minimum wage be updated every year on April 1 based on the consumer price index for the previous year, plus an extra one per cent. The additional increase on October 1 this year responds to concerns about the rising cost of living.

Increasing the minimum wage is one way the Province is helping Nova Scotians keep more money in their pockets. It has also:

• delivered more than $500 million in tax-saving measures, saving the average Nova Scotian family more than $1,000
• quadrupled investment in rent supplements, helping 12,000 Nova Scotians last year
• expanded the school lunch program to 334 schools, providing nutritious, affordable lunches to more than104,000 students each day
• reduced child-care fees by an average of 50 per cent.

Quick Facts:

• about 40,000 workers currently earn minimum wage, about 7.7 per cent of the labour force
• minimum wage earners work throughout Nova Scotia, primarily in retail, followed by the food and accommodation industries

Additional Resources:

More information on Nova Scotia’s minimum wage: https://novascotia.ca/lae/employmentrights/minimumwage.asp