Report Says Low-Wage Albertan Workers are Mostly Women

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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According to Statistics Canada figures released by Public Interest Alberta on Monday, there is a predominant provincial bias against jobs usually occupied by women, highlighting that it is statistically proven that almost two out of three low-wage workers in Alberta are women. The figures released on Monday i.e. Labour Day, basically pointed out that one in every five Albertans earns less than $15 per hour and most shockingly 61 per cent of those low-wage workers are women.

A statement by the executive director, Bill Moore-Kilgannon, mentioned that while Alberta’s minimum wage will rise 25 cents to $10.20 an hour on Monday, while those who serve liquor will still earn only $9.20 per hour. Moore-Kilgannon alleged that “we’ve known for some time that significantly more women work in these low-wage areas, and I think that’s tied to so many government policies.” He stated that in reference to policies related to child care workers, agencies that support people with disabilities, and the government’s “horrible policy that has servers getting paid less than the minimum wage.” It was highlighted that “these are areas that are predominantly occupied by women, so I think our provincial government needs to take a hard look at the bias they have toward these areas of work.”

Back in 2011, the province introduced a controversial, two-tier minimum wage that was rejected by Tory-dominated all-party committee that studied the issue for seven months. However, it was implemented by then-employment minister, Thomas Lukaszuk, after lobbying by Alberta restaurant operators, who argued that liquor servers don’t really earn minimum wage because they receive tips.