Students searching for summer jobs will be pleased to know minimum wage is no longer so minimal.

As of the today, Ontario is increasing its general minimum wage to $10.25 — a difference of almost 50 per cent since 2004. Student minimum wage, which applies to students under 18 and is dependant on work hours, will also increase to $9.60 per hour — a 70 cent increase since 2009.

The increase is part of Breaking the Cycle: Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy — an initiative to reduce the number of kids living in poverty.

“We are helping hard-working Ontarians maintain a decent standard of living,” Peter Fonseca, minister of labour, said in a press release. “A fair minimum wage is good for workers.”

This will represent the seventh consecutive annual increase of minimum wage.