Average weekly earnings of Canadian payroll employees were $837.08 in December, up 2.8% from December 2008. This was the fastest year-over-year growth in average weekly earnings since the peak in employment in October 2008.

Among Canada’s largest industrial sectors, average weekly earnings increased between December 2008 and December 2009 in health care and social assistance (+5.6%); accommodation and food services (+4.8%); public administration (+3.8%); retail trade (+3.8%); educational services (+3.3%); and manufacturing (+2.7%).

Over the same period, average weekly earnings declined 0.7% in construction.

All provinces reported growth in average weekly earnings in December compared with December 2008. Newfoundland and Labrador (+5.6%) experienced the fastest growth, followed by Saskatchewan (+4.9%) and Ontario (+3.9%). Alberta (+1.2%) had the slowest year-over-year growth.

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Province
December 2009

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Industry
December 2009

Data from Statistics Canada

25 Feb 2010

Canadian employment increased by 43,000 in January, all in part time, pushing the unemployment rate down 0.1 percent to 8.3%. January marks the fourth employment gain in six months. Despite the recent increases, employment still remains 280,000 below the level of October 2008.

Employment gains in January were driven by women aged 25 to 54 and youths. This was the first notable increase for youths since the start of the employment downturn in the fall of 2008.

There were large increases in part-time employment in January, bringing it back to the level of six months earlier. Full-time employment was little changed in January, but has trended up over the last six months.

January’s increase was among private sector employees, while self-employment declined. Over the last six months, the number of private and public sector employees has been rising while self-employment has been little changed.

The largest employment increases in January occurred in business, building and other support services, and retail and wholesale trade. These were partially offset by losses in professional, scientific, and technical services, as well as agriculture.

Ontario accounted for more than half of the employment gains in January, followed by British Columbia and Manitoba. Employment declined in Nova Scotia while it was unchanged in all other provinces.

10 Feb 2010