The average weekly earnings of employees (full-time and part-time) stood at $789.99 in April, up 0.3 percent from March according to figures fron Statistics Canada. Compared with a year earlier, average weekly earnings were up 3.2 percent.

In Canada’s largest industrial sectors, earnings rose 4.0 percent in health and social assistance, 3.0 percent in manufacturing, 2.7 percent in retail trade, and 1.9 percent in educational services compared with a year earlier.

Alberta and Saskatchewan had the strongest year-over-year earnings growth of all provinces at 6.0 percent and 5.4 percent respectively.

The average hourly earnings for hourly paid employees edged up from $19.82 in March to $19.85 in April.

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Province
April 2008

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Industry
April 2008

29 Jun 2008

Following two months of small increases, Canadian employment was unchanged in May, and the unemployment rate remained at 6.1%. Over the past 12 months, data from Statistics Canada show that employment in Canada has risen by 2.0 percent. Despite slower employment growth in recent months, the participation rate remained at its record high of 68.0 percent in May.

Manufacturing employment rose in May, mainly in Ontario and Quebec. Employment across Canada in this industry has trended downward since November 2002. Health care and social assistance, as well as “other services” added employment in May, while agriculture and professional, scientific and technical services recorded losses.

Quebec
In Quebec, after two consecutive months of declines, employment rose by 18,000 in May. With an increase in the number of Quebecers in the labour market, the unemployment rate was little changed at 7.5 percent. Employment growth over the last 12 months in the province stands at 1.2 percent, below the national rate of growth.

Employment in Quebec’s manufacturing industry increased in May (+14,000). While manufacturing employment has declined by 124,000 since November 2002, over the past 12 months, this sector has been stable with growth in transportation equipment offsetting losses in textile and clothing manufacturing.

With a slight increase in May, Ontario’s employment growth over the past 12 months was 2.2 percent. Losses in educational services in May were offset by gains in manufacturing.

Newfoundland & Labrador
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the employment rate rose to an all-time high of 52.8 percent in May. Over the past 12 months, employment growth was 2.9 percent, one of the fastest rates of growth in the country.

Manitoba
Following strong gains the month before, employment in Manitoba declined in May, pushing the unemployment rate up to 4.2 percent, still among the lowest in Canada. Employment in this province has increased by 1.5 percent in the past 12 months.

New Brunswick
In May, employment in New Brunswick declined (-4,400), bringing the unemployment rate up to 8.9 percent. In 2007, employment followed an upward trend; so far this year, however, growth has slowed.

Alberta
Although unchanged in May, employment in Alberta has increased 3.3 percent over the past 12 months, the strongest growth rate in Canada. As a result of increased participation in the labour market, the unemployment rate rose in May to 3.6 percent, still the lowest in Canada.

Strong employment growth for adult women
In May, employment among adult women rose by 35,000, mostly in part time. An increase of 52,000 women in the labour market boosted their participation rate to an all-time high of 62.4 percent in May.

18 Jun 2008

Following two months of small increases, Canadian employment was unchanged in May, and the unemployment rate remained at 6.1%, according to figures from Statistics Canada. Over the past 12 months, employment in Canada has risen by 2.0 percent. Despite slower employment growth in recent months, the participation rate remained at its record high of 68.0 percent in May.

Manufacturing employment rose in May, mainly in Ontario and Quebec. Employment across Canada in this industry has trended downward since November 2002. Health care and social assistance, as well as “other services” added employment in May, while agriculture and professional, scientific and technical services recorded losses.

Quebec
In Quebec, after two consecutive months of declines, employment rose by 18,000 in May. With an increase in the number of Quebecers in the labour market, the unemployment rate was little changed at 7.5 percent. Employment growth over the last 12 months in the province stands at 1.2 percent, below the national rate of growth.

Employment in Quebec’s manufacturing industry increased in May (+14,000). While manufacturing employment has declined by 124,000 since November 2002, over the past 12 months, this sector has been stable with growth in transportation equipment offsetting losses in textile and clothing manufacturing.

With a slight increase in May, Ontario’s employment growth over the past 12 months was 2.2 percent. Losses in educational services in May were offset by gains in manufacturing.

Newfoundland & Labrador
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the employment rate rose to an all-time high of 52.8 percent in May. Over the past 12 months, employment growth was 2.9 percent, one of the fastest rates of growth in the country.

Manitoba
Following strong gains the month before, employment in Manitoba declined in May, pushing the unemployment rate up to 4.2 percent, still among the lowest in Canada. Employment in this province has increased by 1.5 percent in the past 12 months.

New Brunswick
In May, employment in New Brunswick declined (-4,400), bringing the unemployment rate up to 8.9 percent. In 2007, employment followed an upward trend; so far this year, however, growth has slowed.

Alberta
Although unchanged in May, employment in Alberta has increased 3.3 percent over the past 12 months, the strongest growth rate in Canada. As a result of increased participation in the labour market, the unemployment rate rose in May to 3.6 percent, still the lowest in Canada.

Strong employment growth for adult women
In May, employment among adult women rose by 35,000, mostly in part time. An increase of 52,000 women in the labour market boosted their participation rate to an all-time high of 62.4 percent in May.

18 Jun 2008

Manpower Inc. has released the results of its third annual talent shortage survey, revealing that 31 percent of employers across the globe are finding it more difficult to fill jobs.

The top ten workers most in-demand in Canada are:

Canada

1. Skilled Manual Trades (primarily carpenters/jointers, welders or electricians)
2. Sales Representatives
3. Engineers
4. Accounting & Finance Staff
5. Labourers
6. Nurses
7. Teachers
8. Drivers
9. Machinists/Machine Operators
10. Secretaries, PAs, Administrative Assistants & Office Support Staff

The percentage of employers surveyed in Canada indicating that they are having difficulty filling positions was down from 36% in 2007 to 31% this year.

8 Jun 2008

In 2006, Canada’s homeownership rate reached its highest level since 1971, according to date from the 2006 Census. Of the 12.4 million households in Canada, more than 8.5 million, over two-thirds owned their home, the highest rate since 1971. At the same time, the proportion of Canadian households that rented their home slipped from 34 percent in 2001 to 31 percent in 2006. About 3.9 million households rented their home in 2006.

The increase during the five-year period continues the long-term trend in rising homeownership that picked up in 1991 after a period of low growth during the 1980s.

Households in the Atlantic provinces continued to have the highest homeownership rates in the country in 2006. Those in Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest rate, 79 percent. Households in Quebec had the lowest provincial rate at 60 percent.

The median selling price Canadian homeowners would expect to receive for their dwellings rose from $134,240 in 2001 to $200,474 in 2006, a 49 percent increase. Over the same period, consumer prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index increased by 11.3 percent.

More homeowners with a mortgage
Nearly 6 out of every 10 households that owned their home had a mortgage in 2006. Provincially, Alberta had the highest proportion of households with a mortgage (62%) and Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest proportion (45%).

Condominiums driving homeownership
The census counted 913,000 households that owned a condominium in 2006, up 37 percent from five years earlier. The increase in condominium owners during this period accounted for one-quarter of the increase in the number of Canadian households that owned their dwelling.

Rates of condominium ownership were highest in the four British Columbia metropolitan areas. Condo owners accounted for 31 percent of owner households in Vancouver in 2006, 24 percent in Abbotsford, 21 percent in Victoria and 21 percent in Kelowna.

Shelter costs increasing faster than the CPI
For renter households, median annual shelter costs rose by 12.8 percent between 2001 and 2006. Over the same period, consumer prices increased by 11.3 percent. For owner households, spending on shelter increased by 21.6 percent, almost twice the increase in consumer prices.

In 2006, the median annual shelter cost for renter households was $8,057. For owner households with a mortgage, it was $15,150.

Percentage spending 30% or more on shelter edges up
In 2006, an estimated 3.0 million households, or 24.9 percent of the total, spent 30 percent or more of their income on shelter. This was up marginally from 24.1 percent in 2001, but was lower than the high of 26.6 percent in 1996 at the end of the economic downturn experienced in the early 1990s.

Renter households had a higher share of households spending 30% or more on shelter — 40.3 percent in 2006, compared with 39.6 percent in 2001.

Homeowners had a lower share at 17.8 percent of these households in 2006, up from 16.0 percent five years earlier.

4 Jun 2008