Deputy Premier Dr. Kedrick Pickering announced Monday morning that the minimum wage will increase from $4 to $6 an hour starting in October.
The increase is in line with a recommendation made in a report from the Minimum Wage Advisory Committee, which was tabled in House of Assembly last November.
According to the committee, $6 per hour should be enough for residents to afford basic necessities such as rent, utilities and food without needing to take on second jobs or seek government assistance.
Dr. Pickering said on Monday that Cabinet made the decision to delay the increase until October because businesses already had to adjust to the 7.5-percent National Health Insurance tax imposed on them and their employees at the beginning of the year.
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