Edmonton Social Planning Council

Category: **Resources: Labour:

  • Edmonton’s Living Wage – 2017 Update

    Making the Minimum

    Calculating Edmonton’s Living Wage

    2017 Update

    This report outlines the 2017 update to our calculation of Edmonton’s 2017 Living Wage.

    Edmonton’s living wage for 2017 is $16.31/hour. This represents the wage that two adults, each working full time, in a family of four requires to live in economic stability and to maintain a modest standard of living. The living wage amount allows a family to afford basic necessities, to avoid financial stress, to encourage healthy child development and to fully participate in their communities (Canadian Living Wage Framework, 2015).

    The living wage for 2017 is $0.38 less than the 2016 amount of $16.69/hour and $1.05 less than the 2015 amount of $17.36/hour. This difference is mainly due to the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) being in place for a full year and the enhanced Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit (AFETC). Both the income threshold and benefit amounts of the AFETC were increased and indexed to inflation in the 2017 provincial budget. Unlike the AFETC, the CCB is not scheduled to be indexed to inflation until 2020 (Edmonton Social Planning Council, 2017).

    F. SOCIAL ISSUES/F.05 INCOME/2017_LIVINGWAGE_UPDATE_20170626_V4.pdf

  • A Profile of Poverty in Edmonton: Update 2017

    The two years since ESPC published A Profile of Poverty in Edmonton have been challenging ones for the city of Edmonton and its residents.

    This report updates many of the poverty trends and challenges identified two years within the context of broader social and economic trends in our community. This profile updates the actions the City could take within its jurisdiction to help work towards eliminating poverty and in keeping with the Poverty Roadmap approved by City Council.

    This profile update provides data and analysis to answer the following questions:

    • What is the overall picture of poverty in Edmonton, and how has it changed in the past two years?
    • How does poverty vary across age, gender, and households in the city? What trends are we seeing among different population groups?
    • Who is impacted most by poverty? What population groups are at higher risk of experiencing poverty than others? (i.e., Indigenous people, recent immigrant/refugees, low income workers, women children and youth.)
    • What are the emerging trends impacting poverty in Edmonton or influencing the work on eliminating poverty?

    ESPC Documents/PUBLICATIONS/A.06.C RESEARCH UPDATES/CityOfEdmontonPovertyProfileUpdate_2017.pdf

  • Calculating Edmonton’s Living Wage: Other Family Types 2016 Update

    The 2016 living wage for Edmonton is $16.69 per hour. This is the amount that a family of four with two parents who work full-time require to live in economic stability and maintain a modest standard of living. This includes being able to afford basic necessities (food, shelter, utilities, clothing, transportation, etc.), to support healthy child development, to avoid financial stress, and to participate in their communities. However, this is not the only family type represented in Edmonton; each family type will have a different living wage due mainly to differences in expenses and government transfers. We have also calculated the living wages for a lone parent family and a single adult. These calculations are based on BC’s “Calculation Guide” (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives).

    The 2016 living wage for lone parents is $18.15 per hour.

    The 2016 living wage for single adults is $17.81 per hour.

    For the main Edmonton Living Wage 2016 update, which includes a complete summary of the living wage, the case for a living wage, and written summaries of the calculations, please visit our website at edmontonsocialplanning.ca or use the direct link https://edmontonsocialplanning.ca/index.php/news/espc-news/265-more-than-minimum-calculating-edmonton-s-living-wage-2016-update.

    Download the Other Family Types Living Wage Report today.

    ESPC Documents/PUBLICATIONS/A.06.C RESEARCH UPDATES/2016LivingWageOtherFamilyTypesUpdate.pdf

  • 2012 ESPC Social Justice Internship The role of stakeholders in integrating skilled immigrants into the workforce

    Title:The role of stakeholders in integrating skilled immigrants into the workforce
    Autho(s):Muthui, Daniel
    Editor:MacDonald, Stephen
    Subject:Immigration – employment, foreign qualifications|split|Immigration – planning, policy|split|Immigration – programs, services|split|Immigration – statistics, studies
    Publisher:Edmonton Social Planning Council
    Place of Publication:Edmonton
    Date of Publication:2012
    Abstract:

    This paper explores recent immigrants’ access to the Canadian job market by focusing on the barriers they encounter as they try to find work that is commensurate with their education, skills and work experience. It highlights the employment experiences of recent immigrants to Canada and Alberta (with an emphasis on Edmonton) and proposes actions that the City of Edmonton and other stakeholders can take to identify immigrants’ skills and help them find employment opportunities related to their education and previous work experience. [Taken from Introduction]

    Language:English
    Material Type:Report

    F. SOCIAL ISSUES/F06 IMMIGRATION/2012 ESPC Social Justice Internship The role of stakeholders in integrating skilled immigrants into the workforce.pdf

  • 2011 WP11-13

    Title:Why do some employers prefer to interview Matthew, But Not Samir?: new evidence from Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
    Author(s):Oreopoulos, Philip|split|Dechief, Diane
    Corporate Author: Metropolis British Columbia
    Subject:Discrimination|split|Racism
    Publisher:Metropolis British Columbia
    Place of Publication:Burnaby BC
    Vancouver
    Date of Publication:2011
    Language:English
    Series:Working Paper Series
    Material Type:Report

    H. LABOUR/H.07 EMPLOYMENT/2011 WP11-13.pdf

  • Edmonton’s 2016 living wage: $16.69 per hour

    Edmonton’s 2016 living wage: $16.69 per hour

    Edmonton Social Planning Council releases annual report

    By: Alex Boyd Metro Published on Thu Jun 23 2016

    Two working adults living in the city with two kids would each have to make $16.69 an hour in order to make ends meet, according to the Edmonton Living Wage Report released Thursday.
    The Edmonton Social Planning Council calculates the living wage every year, using cost of living estimates for Edmonton. They also take into account dollars coming in from government transfers and additional costs like EI and CPP premiums.

    The living wage for 2016 is actually 67 cents less than last year, because of child benefit increases from both the federal and provincial governments.

    “Our hope is that more Edmonton employers will rise to the challenge and commit to paying a living wage to all their employees,” said ESPC Research Coordinator John Kolkman in a release.
    “Research indicates that employers paying a living wage benefit from decreased staff turnover, improved productivity and reduced absenteeism.”

    Read the whole article on the Metro.

    Download our Living wage report.