Canadian Salary Survey

Average Canadian Salary :: Canadian Salaries :: Wages in Canada :: Average Pay in Canada

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 in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario and $60-70,000 pa in other provinces.

Academic salaries vary quite widely depending on the employer. Lecturer pay scales run from around $42,000 - $75,000. Assistant professor / senior lecturer pay scales run from around $55,000 - $90,000. For professors the scale is around $80,000 - $140,000. Individual institutions may pay significantly more or less than these averages.

Average wages for men and women working in different employment sectors.
Canadian Full-Time Average Hourly Earnings 2009
Earnings
Classification
Average
Hourly
Earnings 2009
Average
Hourly
Earnings (2008)
Males $23.84($23.44)
Females$20.18($19.83)
All Employees$23.59($21.66)

Average Weekly Wages in Canada in 2009
ProfessionAverage
Weekly Wage
Aug 2009
Average
Weekly Wage
Aug 2008
Forestry, logging and support$828$812
Mining and quarrying, and oil and gas extraction$1,527$1,524
Utilities$1,557$1,422
Construction$1,030$1,023
Manufacturing$921$943
Wholesale trade$1,018$960
Retail trade$479$486
Transportation and warehousing$866$873
Information and cultural industries$1,108$992
Finance and insurance$1,071$1,014
Real estate and rental and leasing$745$783
Professional, scientific and technical services$1,121$1,065
Management of companies and enterprises$1,166$1,038
Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services$662$677
Educational services$907$865
Health care and social assistance$776$752
Arts, entertainment and recreation$536$502
Accommodation and food services$336$335
Other services (excluding public administration)$677$667
Public administration$1,085$1,028


Looking at jobs throughout Canada, typical wages are as follows:
Average Hourly Wages in Canada in 2007
ProfessionAverage
Hourly Wage
Retail Sales / Sales Clerk$11
Data Entry Clerk$15
Bookkeeper$16
Accounting Clerk$17
Truck Driver$19
Plumber$22
Carpenter$22
Executive Assistant$22
Electrician$25
Architect$27
Social Worker$28
Registered Nurse$32
Computer Engineer (not software)$33
Physiotherapist$34
Lawyer$36
Computer and Info Systems Manager$37
Engineering Manager$45
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.



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

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