Moncton 
New Brunswickers are being asked to weigh in on the province’s minimum wage as the government launches its first public consultation on the issue in a decade.
Credit: Emilie-Iggiotti/Tourism New Brunswick
The Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour will collect feedback from workers, employers, organizations and members of the public until Oct. 9.
The province currently has a minimum wage of $15.90 an hour, following a 25-cent increase on April 1, 2026. The rate is adjusted every April based on New Brunswick’s consumer price index from Statistics Canada.
In 2025, there were 18,300 minimum wage earners, representing 5 per cent of employees, compared with 21,700 in 2024.
Teenagers, women, part-time workers, permanent employees, non-unionized employees and people with a high school diploma or less were among the groups most represented. A significant share lived with parents or other relatives.
This review will look at more than just the hourly figure. The department is also examining how the minimum wage is calculated, when changes should take effect and whether the current system reflects the cost of basic necessities such as housing, food and transportation.
“It is important to government that New Brunswick’s minimum wage supports workers, while recognizing the economic realities facing employers,” Labour Minister Alyson Townsend said.
The consultation also asks whether minimum wage levels in other Atlantic provinces should influence New Brunswick’s decisions.
Overtime is part of the discussion as well. New Brunswick’s minimum overtime rate is currently $23.85 an hour, or 1½ times the minimum wage, for hours worked beyond 44 in a week. The government is asking whether overtime should instead be tied to an employee’s regular wage.
Although the department reviews minimum wage every two years, the province has not held a public consultation on it for 10 years.
Feedback can be submitted through an online form, by email at labourtravail@gnb.ca, or by calling 1-844-453-4155.
