Become a Living Wage Employer

It’s good for your company and the community.

It’s good for your company

Paying your employees a living wage allows them and their families to meet their basic needs and contribute to their communities. As an employer, you’ll find yourself with loyal, dedicated workers who’ll stay with your company longer, lowering your recruitment and training costs.

It’s good for the community

Being a living wage employer not only increases your standing in the community, it is a solid economic development strategy. You’re helping to build a strong local economy and supporting sustainable and healthy communities.

Getting started

To be recognized as a certified living wage employer, your organization needs to pay its direct staff and indirect contract staff at least the living wage rate. A living wage reflects what two working adults supporting two children need to earn to cover their basic expenses, after government transfers and deductions. It is calculated using the actual costs of living for your community.

Employers may offset the living wage rate by providing benefits that affect basic needs, such as health care plans (contact us for a custom calculation). For the purpose of qualifying for a living wage, an employee/contractor is considered as someone who works a minimum of 120 hours/year for your organization.

Certified employers join a network of organizations committed to paying a living wage. As a certified employer, you can use our logo on their website, social media, and job ads.

There is an annual certification fee—see the application form for the fee schedule, due upon joining.

“It’s not a hardship. It’s why we have staff that stick around and it’s why our customers keep coming back — because our staff are engaged and happy and want to succeed.”
— Kevin Kent, Knifewear Group

FAQ’s

  • When you certify you receive perks such as:

    • Use of our logo on your website, social media, internal communications, job postings, etc.

    • Being part of a large network of employers

    • Access to employer networking events

    • It’s risk free - it’s free to join for the first year and if you can no longer participate, you can terminate the agreement (and rejoin when you’re ready)

    1. To begin the certification process, first fill out the Living Wage Employer Application Form. If all staff aren’t currently paid a living wage, employers must provide a Living Wage Implementation Plan as part of their application.

    2. Once the application is reviewed and we have confirmed that conditions are being met for becoming a Living Wage Employer, both the employer and Alberta Living Wage Network will sign the license agreement. Employer fees are waived for the first year. An annual employer fee will be paid at the first-year anniversary of the date of recognition and will be due each subsequent year on that anniversary.

    3. The Memorandum of Agreement is a document that outlines the obligations and responsibilities the Alberta Living Wage Network has to the Living Wage Employer, and what those employers agree to do in order to maintain recognition.

    4. We will recognize you on our social media channels, website and coordinate a blog post or press release to celebrate your certification.

    5. On the anniversary of your certification, you will be sent a recertification survey and invoice.

  • The cost varies by size and sector, starting at $50/year for the non-profit and private sector with fewer than 10 employees. For full details of the cost please refer to the Alberta Living Wage Employer Guide.

    Employer fees are waived for the first year of certification.