The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has released a report entitled “Newfoundland and Labrador’s 2023 Living Wages: Seeking a Better Deal for Low-Wage Workers.”

The report includes the first province-wide calculation for regionally-sensitive living wages. The 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.

Co-author of the study and associate professor at Memorial University Dr. Russell Williams says instead of using the minimum wage, they work backward from the average household budget and what they have to earn to manage the daily expenses. The rates for the province are similar until you get to the Northern Peninsula and Labrador, mainly because of food and transportation costs.

He says inflation over the past few years is really tasking a toll on household budgets. They gathered input through a series of focus sessions.

Dr. Williams says people are really struggling to meet basic expenses and they are stressed over the situation.