South Cariboo Chamber members were invited to participate in an online survey Dec. 10-15 to gauge their opinions on whether the minimum wage in British Columbia should be increased.
In all, 34 members participated.
Noting the survey was a quick temperature taking and she would hesitate to draw major conclusions from it, given the short time frame it ran and the number of responses received, chamber manager Christine Jordaan agrees the results were interesting.
The survey was carried out to provide the chamber with an accurate snapshot of members’ opinions to be passed onto the BC Chamber of Commerce, which is in the process of engaging the provincial government on this topic.
Here is a summary of the results:
How many people does your business employ?
29 per cent (%) responded none/self-employed; 37% one-five employees; 11% six-nine employees; nine % 10-15 employees; 0% 16-20 employees; 11% 21-50 employees; and three % 51-plus employees.
Do you currently employ any staff at minimum wage?
15% responded yes; and 85% responded no.
Which of the following statements do you most agree with?
23% - The minimum wage should be left unchanged for now; 35% - The B.C. government should implement a one-time increase to the minimum wage in the near future; and 42% - Increases to the minimum wage should occur annually based on a clear and predictable formula.
If the B.C. minimum wage is increased, please rate the impact this would have on your business:
55% - negligible impact; 14% - negligible to moderate impact; 14% - moderate impact; 17% - moderate to severe impact; and 0% - severe impact.
If the B.C. government were to increase the minimum wage, what should it be increased to?
16% - $8/hr - wage should stay the same; 10% - increase to $8.50/hr; 32% - increase to $9/hr; 10% - increase to $9.50/hr; 29% - increase to $10/hr; 0% - increase to $10.50/hr; and three % - increase to $11/hr or more.
Jordaan says she thinks the most important conclusion to be drawn is a majority [of members] are interested in seeing changes made to the minimum wage, whether it’s a one-time increase or the development of a predictable annual formula.
Meanwhile, B.C. Liberal leadership candidates have joined the chorus calling for an increase in Canada’s lowest minimum wage. Labour Minister Iain Black has asked his staff to consult with business and labour representatives and look at the options and consequences.
Black cautioned that a sudden increase could be “dangerous” for small businesses struggling to recover from a deep recession.