Nova Scotia’s minimum wage increased to $16.50 per hour on Oct. 1, up from $15.70, according to the provincial government.
The change marks the second minimum wage increase in 2025, bringing the total annual rise to $1.30, the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration said Tuesday.
About 40,000 workers currently earn minimum wage in Nova Scotia, representing 7.7 per cent of the province’s labour force, according to the government. Most minimum wage earners work in retail, followed by the food and accommodation industries.
Second adjustment responds to cost of living
“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,” said Nolan Young, minister of labour, skills and immigration.
Provincial regulations require the minimum wage to increase every year on April 1 based on the consumer price index for the previous year, plus one per cent. The government said the additional October increase responds to concerns about rising living costs.
Part of broader affordability measures
The province said the wage increase is part of a broader affordability strategy that includes more than $500 million in tax-saving measures, saving the average Nova Scotia family more than $1,000, according to the government.
Other measures include quadrupling investment in rent supplements to help 12,000 Nova Scotians last year, expanding the school lunch program to 334 schools serving more than 104,000 students daily, and reducing child-care fees by an average of 50 per cent, the province said.
