(Toronto) Starbucks Canada on Wednesday announced an increase in wages and improved benefits, citing a context of “critical understaffing” and a renewed commitment to the well-being of its workers.
Starting in January, the starting salary will be increased to be one dollar higher than the provincial minimum wages, the company said, while employees who have worked at the company for at least a year will receive a wage increase. from 6% to 10%.
The wage hike, which will affect around 20,000 workers, will raise baristas’ hourly wages to between $ 13.00 and $ 20.45, depending on location and seniority, while shift supervisors will earn between $ 15.85 and $ 24.95.
The coffeehouse chain also said it would offer every hourly worker in Canada three paid shifts per calendar year for sick leave or family care, as well as ongoing benefits such as free coffee, a membership to a meditation app and health and dental care.
The improvement in wages and benefits comes as the coffee company says it has hired recruiting specialists to deal with “critical staff shortages and difficulties” in some markets.
Starbucks, which calls its workers “partners,” says it has also invested in additional training and new technologies and processes to improve day-to-day tasks at its establishments.
The company says operational and salary investments are designed to recruit and retain the best people and make Starbucks “one of the best employers in retail.”
Starbucks has approximately 963 company-operated coffee shops and 441 licensed locations in Canada.