This is the first province-wide effort to calculate a regionally-sensitive living wage in Newfoundland and Labrador. The living wage rates for the four regions are:
- $23.95 for Central,
- $24.20 for Eastern,
- $23.80 for Western and
- $26.80 for Labrador-Northern Peninsula.
This report breaks the province into four regions broadly corresponding
with the province’s now amalgamated health regions. The calculations are based on the standard living wage methodology used in other jurisdictions, the regional living wages for Newfoundland and Labrador in 2023 are in Table 1 of the report.
This is the first province-wide living wage calculation for Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), this year’s living wage cannot be compared to previous years; however, we know from other provinces that inflation and cost of living increases have hit low-income households hard. NL’s living wage is higher than in much of the country because many basic household expenses are higher — a higher cost of living equals a higher living wage.
Labrador and the Northern Peninsula face unique challenges within the province — the required living wage of $26.80 an hour is among the highest in the country — indeed the highest in Atlantic Canada.