Canadian Salary Survey

Wages in Canada

If you're moving to Canada from the UK, Europe or USA, you're likely to find Canadian wages are a bit lower than you are used to. This is often compensated for by lower house prices in Canada.

Graduates in the secondary education sector earn attractive salaries by Canadian standards. For example, school-teachers at the top of the pay scale (after 11 years teaching) can earn $70,000 pa or more.

Academic salaries vary quite widely depending on the employer. Lecturer pay scales run from around $42,000 - $70,000. Assistant professor / senior lecturer pay scales run from around $50,000 - $80,000. For professors the scale is around $75,000 - 110,000. Individual institutions may pay significantly more or less than these averages.

Looking at jobs throughout Canada, typical wages are as follows:

Average Hourly Wages in Canada in 2006

Profession	Average Hourly Wage
Retail Sales / Sales Clerk	$12
Data Entry Clerk	$13
Accounting Clerk	$16
Bookkeeper	$16
Truck Driver	$19
Plumber	$22
Carpenter	$22
Electrician	$23
Executive Assistant	$28
Social Worker	$28
Architect	$26
Registered Nurse	$27
Physiotherapist	$27
Computer Engineer (not software)	$41
Engineering Manager	$45
Computer and Info Systems Manager	$37
Lawyer	$35
Dentist	$60

In practice, wages vary from city to city and province to province - sometimes quite widely. Here are pay scales for jobs in Toronto, Calgary and Winnipeg:

Wages for Management Jobs

Wages for Business, Finance and Administration Jobs

Wages for Science / Technology Jobs

Wages for Health Jobs

Wages for Social and Education Jobs

Wages for Arts, Writing and Recreation Jobs

Wages for Sales and Service Jobs

Wages for Trades Jobs

Here are more detailed salaries for Business, Finance and Administration Jobs in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Fredericton, Halifax, Windsor-Essex County, Kitchener, Cambridge, Guelph, Prince Edward Island, Saskatoon, Montreal and Winnipeg.

Finally, here are average wages for men and women and in different employment sectors.

Canadian Average Hourly Earnings 2007

Earnings Classification	Average Hourly Earnings
Males	$20.87
Females	$17.28
All Employees	$19.09

Average Weekly Wages in Canada in 2007

Profession	Average Weekly Wage
Educational and related services	$836
Health care and social assistance	$724
All Industries	$785
Public Administration	$988
Professional, scientific and technical services	$996

References and Further Information:
Academic Salaries (pdf document)
Wages by Job Type and Canadian Location
Canadian Statistics