United Way Perth-Huron's Social Research and Planning Council has announced the new living wage for the region.
United Way Executive Director, Ryan Erb, says the Living Wage this year is seventeen dollars and 95 cents, an increase of forty cents from their 2019 calculation and he acknowledges, both businesses and families have been under increased pressure this year because of the pandemic. Erb adds, he expects the pandemic will continue to push the price of a number of products from food to cars, up even further.
Erb says the good news is that more and more businesses, large and small, are adopting the Living Wage program and what that says is that employers really value their employees.
"So what it says is that employers really value their employees, it's just a real statement of fact, we want to make sure that our employees can, at least, afford to pay the bills and that's critically important and why the Living Wage calculation gives a bit of a bench mark for our community to understand where we need to be."
Erb also notes, what they've learned from the program is that paying a Living Wage benefits the employer and the employee.
"The employee can make ends meet, which is critically important for them and their family and allows them to enjoy their lives and be civically engaged and, on the other hand, employers tell us that this has changed things in terms of productivity for their staff, commitment, loyalty, they have much less turnover."
Erb says if people want to find out more about how the Living Wage is calculated and how it benefits the community, they can find that information on the Perth Huron United Way web site.
