A labour group here in Saskatchewan has come out with their criticisms of the scheduled minimum wage increase.

That's set to go up to $13 on October 1, followed by $14 on the same date next year, and $15 one year after that.

With the wage going up by more than a quarter it'll amount to a good chunk of change more for those working minimum wage.

But Lori Johb, the President of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, argues that the increase is still not enough for those workers.

"We were calling for an immediate bump to $15 dollars an hour. We know that the living wage in our province is closer to 17, probably 18 dollars an hour so 13 dollars an hour still isn't good enough. While it's going to be welcome for people earning that wage, it's not going to make that much difference considering the cost of living these days."

Johb cites the current cost of living - and the possibility of that increasing even further - as one of the biggest reasons increased wages are needed.

"I don't think the cost of living is going to go down for people in the next little while I think. We're hearing about all kinds of things about what's happening with our economy - the price of gas and food prices are out of control. It's definitely going to be helpful and people are going to notice a difference on their paychecks, it's not going to go as far as we need it to go."

The slack in wages has apparently been picked up mainly by small businesses, which find benefit from well-payed employees.

"I think what's happening is we're seeing small businesses in our province actually paying a higher wage," said Johb, "Because we know that it's important for people to feel like they're appreciated, and to retain and recoup workers. I think a lot of people are realizing that they need to bump wages to do that."

Johb attributes most minimum wage work to larger businesses and corporations, who would be most affected by the rise in the minimum wage.