A third (32 per cent) of Canadian employers say mandatory minimum wage hikes result in increased wages across the entire company, according to a new survey by the Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals.

The survey, which polled more than 500 hiring decision-makers and more than 500 employees, found the main driver for this increase was the fact that 59 per cent of job seekers said they’d quit if they found out an entry-level employee had the same pay as a more senior employee following a minimum wage increase.

Read: Employers favouring wage hikes over benefits enhancements amid high inflation: survey

Still, 85 per cent of companies and 90 per cent of job seekers agreed minimum wage should keep up with inflation rates and 85 per cent of job seekers agreed minimum wage hikes help the personal finances of minimum wage workers in the long run.

A fifth (19 per cent) of businesses said upcoming minimum wage hikes will result in them utilizing more automation or artificial intelligence, decreasing the number of hours employees work (17 per cent), reducing their workforce (14 per cent) and/or outsourcing more work (14 per cent).

In addition, two-thirds (66 per cent) of job seekers said they were concerned that minimum-wage workers need to worry about their job security as a result of automatic wage increases.

Read: B.C. introducing minimum wage, labour protections for app-based gig workers