Editor:
Re: “Help for the working poor,” by Miyuki Shinkai, Kelsey Oxley, Sunshine Coast Labour Council, Letters, May 28.
Thank you to the Sunshine Coast Labour Council for highlighting the issues relative to low wages and poverty in our community. The Council pointed out that there is no current calculation of a living wage that accounts for the costs of living here.
The Sunshine Coast Foundation is working to produce an up-to-date Living Wage Report for the Sunshine Coast later this year.
A living wage is the hourly rate that two adults must earn to support a family of four, assuming one child is in school and one child is in daycare. It takes into account the costs of food, housing, transportation, childcare, and other necessary expenses.
A living wage calculation can be used by employers, economic development organizations, and local governments to inform wages, employment conditions, and other factors that attract and retain employees.
Studies show that businesses usually absorb cost increases related to living wage policies through a combination of price and productivity increases, reduced turnover, and redistribution of staff.
Employers understand that their success depends on having workers who feel adequately rewarded.
This has only heightened during the pandemic. Knowing the living wage calculation will provide employers with information that they can use to help them attract and keep employees, the key to any successful business.
The Sunshine Coast Foundation plans to publish its Living Wage Report this November, following which we will convene a community conversation to share our results and discuss their implications.
Manjit Kang, Chair, Sunshine Coast Foundation
