Minimum Wage

Changes to the minimum wage

The minimum wage is scheduled to increase to the following amounts:

  • April 1, 2023 - $14.50
  • October 1, 2023 - $15.00
  • April 1, 2024 - $15.20

There are three minimum wage orders:

  • Minimum Wage Order (General)
  • Minimum Wage Order (Construction and Property Maintenance)
  • Minimum Wage Order (Logging and Forest Operations)

This section deals with the Minimum Wage Order (General). There are separate minimum wage orders for employees employed in construction and property maintenance as well as those employed in logging and forest operations. For information on those minimum wage orders, contact Labour Standards.

Minimum Wage Order (General)

The Minimum Wage Order (General) sets the minimum wage rate, which is the least amount of money an employer must pay an employee for each hour of work. It also sets employment standards for the following:

  • overtime, for some groups
  • being called into work at times other than scheduled working hours
  • employees waiting for work on the work premises
  • piecework
  • deductions for board, lodging, and meals
  • deductions for uniforms

 

Minimum Wage Rate

As of 1 October 2023, employers must pay employees at least $15.00 per hour. As of 1 April 2024, the minimum wage will rise to $15.20 per hour.

 

Overtime

The Minimum Wage Order (General) contains overtime requirements for some groups. Overtime is also addressed in the Labour Standards Code and in the Construction and Property Maintenance Minimum Wage Order (see also webpage on Overtime).

 

Call In

If an employee is called in to work outside the employee's regular work hours, the employer must pay the employee for at least three hours of work at the minimum wage rate, that is, at least $43.50 ($14.50 x 3 hours). This is true even if the employee works only one or two hours. For example, if the employee makes $17 per hour and the employee is called in for one hour's work, the employer must pay the employee at least $43.50.

 

Waiting for Work

Employees must be paid at least minimum wage for all time spent at the workplace, at the request of the employer, waiting to perform work. For example, an employee who works at a restaurant is told by the supervisor to be at work by 8:00 am. The employee arrives at work at 8:00 am but does not actually start performing work until 9:00 am when the restaurant starts to get busy. The employee works serving tables from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm and then leaves for the day. In this situation, the employee would be entitled to pay at the minimum wage rate for the time they spent waiting for work from 8:00 am to 9:00 am. They would be entitled to their regular rate of pay for those hours worked between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

 

Piecework

Many employers in Nova Scotia pay employees by the amount they produce and not by the hour. This arrangement is called "piecework." The Minimum Wage Order (General) says that an employer cannot pay an employee less for piecework than that employee would have earned at the minimum wage for the number of hours worked. For example, an employee is paid $9 for each hat the employee sews. During a one-week period the employee produces 40 hats. The employee is entitled to be paid: $9 per hat x 40 hats, or $360. To produce the 40 hats, the employee worked 30 hours. At the minimum wage the employee would have earned $450 ($15.00 x 30 hours of work). The employee is entitled to be paid at least the same as if the employee was being paid the minimum wage for each hour worked. The employee is, therefore, owed an additional $90 ($450-$360).

Note this rule does not apply to employees employed on a farm whose work is directly related to harvesting fruit, vegetables and tobacco.

 

Board and Lodging

The Minimum Wage Order (General) tells employers how much they can take from an employee’s minimum wage for board and lodging that the employer provides. These amounts are as follows:
  • For board and lodging for each week: $68.20
  • For board only for each week: $55.55
  • For lodging only for each week: $15.45
  • For a single meal: $3.65

Note: An employer cannot charge an employee for a meal not received.

For employees paid more than the minimum wage, the deductions could be larger in total than the above amounts, but they must not bring the employee below the minimum wage by more than the above amounts.

 

Deductions for Uniforms

If an employer requires employees to wear uniforms, aprons, or smocks, the employer may not take the cost of the uniform from the employees' wages if doing so will take their hourly rate below the minimum wage. For example, if an employee works 30 hours each week earning $15.60 per hour then the employee earns $468 ($15.60 x 30) each week. If the employer takes $25 off the weekly pay for a uniform, then the employee will have earned $443 that week, or $14.76 per hour (443 ÷ 30). Since $14.76 per hour is below the minimum wage, the employer cannot take that much from the employee's wages for the cost of the uniform.

The employer may take from the employee's wages the cost of dry cleaning a uniform that is made of wool or a heavy material. The employer may do this even if the employee's wages then fall below minimum wage.

 

Employees Not Covered by the Rules

The minimum wage rules do not apply to the following employees:

  • certain farm employees
  • apprentices employed under the terms of an apprenticeship agreement under the Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act (see NS Apprenticeship Agency)
  • anyone receiving training under government  sponsored and government approved plans
  • anyone employed at a non-profit playground or summer camp
  • real estate and car salespeople
  • commissioned salespeople who work outside the employer’s premises, but not those on established routes
  • insurance agents licensed under the Insurance Act
  • employees who work on a fishing boat
  • employees who fall under the minimum wage orders concerning Logging and Forest Operations and Construction and Property Maintenance
  • employees who do domestic service for or give personal care to an immediate family member  in a private home and are working for the householder
  • employees who do domestic service for or give personal care in a private home and are working for the householder for 24 hours or less per week
  • athletes while engaged in activities related to their athletic endeavour

FAQs

My employer wants to pay me a base salary that's less than minimum wage per hour, but also give me commission. Is that allowed?

That would be lawful as long as you earn, each pay period, at least minimum wage (base rate plus commissions) for all time worked during that period. As an employee paid commission, you would also want to make sure you don’t fall within any of the exceptions to minimum wage.