The province of Quebec’s minimum wage will rise by fifty cents to $15.75 an hour starting on May 1.

According to Quebec’s Labour Department, it is hiking the minimum wage by slightly more than 3% due to economic uncertainty in the retail and restaurant sectors.

The department stated that the hike will affect a little more than 200,000 workers, including over 111,000 women.

Quebec’s Labour Minister Jean Boulet says the government is hesitant to raise the minimum wage too quickly, as doing so could have a negative effect on employers, notably in restaurants and retail.

The government notes that the raise will keep the minimum wage to around half the average hourly pay for workers in Quebec, which is the province’s aim.

According to Boulet, the increase of 3% is higher than the estimated inflation for the province’s 2024-25 fiscal year, which is 2.3%.