Canada’s Current Average Weekly Earnings and Job Vacancy Trends

According to the most recent data from Statistics Canada, the year-on-year increase in the average weekly earnings of employed residents in Canada was 3.6% in June 2023. This information was made public on August 31, 2023.

It is worth noting that the month-to-month change in these average weekly earnings was relatively modest, with an increase of only $4, going from $1,200 in May to $1,204 in June.

In the latest report, it was observed that there was a 0.3% increase in the number of employees receiving pay and benefits from their employers, which amounts to 47,700 more employees. On the contrary, job vacancies continued to decrease, with a decline of 1.2%, or 8,900 fewer job vacancies, bringing the total down to 753,400.

Average Weekly Earnings by Province

Certainly, here is the province-wise breakdown of average weekly earnings in Canada, along with the percentage change over the past 12 months:

Canada: The average weekly earnings in the entire country are $1,203.64, which represents a 3.6% increase compared to the previous year.

Now, let’s look at the earnings and changes in each province and territory:

• Nunavut: In Nunavut, the average weekly earnings are the highest among all provinces and territories at $1,665.72, with an 8.5% increase over the past 12 months.
• Northwest Territories: The Northwest Territories have an average weekly earnings of $1,613.39, showing a 5.1% increase.
• Yukon: Yukon’s average weekly earnings stand at $1,366.45, with a 1.9% increase.
• Alberta: In Alberta, the average weekly earnings are $1,283.89, with a 2.1% increase.
• Ontario: Ontario’s average weekly earnings are $1,226.21, showing a 4.2% increase.
• Newfoundland and Labrador: This province has average weekly earnings of $1,205.89, with a 5.4% increase.
• British Columbia: In British Columbia, the average weekly earnings are $1,203.72, reflecting a 3.1% increase.
• Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan’s average weekly earnings are $1,168.96, with a 2.6% increase.
• Quebec: The average weekly earnings in Quebec are $1,153.32, showing a 4.3% increase.
• Manitoba: In Manitoba, the average weekly earnings are $1,094.77, with a 3.8% increase.
• New Brunswick: New Brunswick has average weekly earnings of $1,091.30, with a 1.8% increase.
• Nova Scotia: The average weekly earnings in Nova Scotia are $1,064.90, reflecting a 3.9% increase.
• Prince Edward Island: Prince Edward Island’s average weekly earnings stand at $1,004.76, with a 4.2% increase.

This data provides an overview of how average weekly earnings vary across different provinces and territories in Canada, along with the changes observed over the past year.

Average Weekly Earnings by Sector

Here is the sector-wise data on average weekly earnings in June 2023 compared to June 2022, along with the year-on-year percentage change:

• Forestry, logging, and support: Average weekly earnings in this sector were $1,425.18 in June 2023, showing an 8.1% increase compared to June 2022.
• Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction: In this sector, the average weekly earnings were $2,289.96 in June 2023, with a 2.6% year-on-year increase.
• Utilities: Average weekly earnings in the utilities sector were $2,147.41 in June 2023, reflecting a 7.2% increase compared to the previous year.
• Construction: The average weekly earnings in the construction sector were $1,485.24 in June 2023, with a 2.9% year-on-year increase.
• Manufacturing: In the manufacturing sector, average weekly earnings were $1,337.46 in June 2023, showing a 5.3% increase compared to June 2022.
• Wholesale trade: Average weekly earnings in wholesale trade were $1,416.85 in June 2023, with a 3.0% year-on-year increase.
• Retail trade: This sector had average weekly earnings of $705.71 in June 2023, indicating a 0.9% increase compared to the previous year.
• Transportation and warehousing: In this sector, average weekly earnings were $1,247.74 in June 2023, with a 1.8% year-on-year increase.
• Information and cultural industries: Average weekly earnings in this sector were $1,647.12 in June 2023, reflecting a significant 12.2% increase compared to June 2022.
• Finance and insurance: The average weekly earnings in finance and insurance were $1,584.30 in June 2023, with a 0.6% year-on-year increase.
• Real estate and rental and leasing: This sector had average weekly earnings of $1,179.86 in June 2023, showing a slight decrease of -1.3% compared to the previous year.
• Professional, scientific, and technical services: Average weekly earnings in this sector were $1,738.46 in June 2023, with a 3.7% year-on-year increase.
• Management of companies and enterprises: In this sector, average weekly earnings were $1,656.05 in June 2023, showing a 6.7% increase compared to June 2022.
• Administrative and support, waste management, and remediation services: The average weekly earnings in this sector were $1,014.33 in June 2023, with a 2.9% year-on-year increase.
• Educational services: Average weekly earnings in educational services were $1,177.13 in June 2023, reflecting a 5.2% increase compared to the previous year.
• Health care and social assistance: In this sector, average weekly earnings were $1,061.48 in June 2023, with a 2.8% year-on-year increase.
• Arts, entertainment, and recreation: Average weekly earnings in this sector were $738.38 in June 2023, showing a 6.9% increase compared to June 2022.
• Accommodation and food services: This sector had average weekly earnings of $488.03 in June 2023, with a 3.5% year-on-year increase.
• Other services (excluding public administration): Average weekly earnings in this sector were $1,042.06 in June 2023, reflecting a 6.3% increase compared to June 2022.
• Public administration: In the public administration sector, average weekly earnings were $1,529.21 in June 2023, with a 2.4% year-on-year increase.

These figures provide insights into the changes in average weekly earnings across various sectors of the economy over the past year.

Decrease in Job Vacancies

The downward trend in job vacancies persisted in June, with a 1.2% decrease, bringing the total number of job openings to 753,400 compared to 762,300 in May.

This decline marks a significant net decrease in vacancies since January, totaling 108,500 fewer job openings (-12.6%). Furthermore, compared to the record high of 1,003,200 vacancies in May 2022, the decrease amounts to a substantial 249,900 job openings (-24.9%).

Notably, job vacancies in June 2023 reached their lowest point since May 2021, when they stood at 673,400.

Job Vacancies by Province

In Quebec, there was a notable decrease in the number of job openings, with a decline of 14,700 (-7.6%), bringing the total to 178,500. This level is the lowest observed since March 2021 when there were 176,400 job vacancies.

As a consequence of this decrease in job openings, the unemployment rate in the province rose by 19,700 (+10.6%), reaching a total of 205,900 individuals without employment.

Conversely, Saskatchewan saw an increase in job openings, with an addition of 4,900, resulting in a total of 26,300 vacancies. Similarly, New Brunswick experienced a rise in job openings, adding 1,800 to reach a total of 14,000. Prince Edward Island also saw an increase, with 1,000 more job openings, totaling 3,500.

In the remaining six provinces, there were minimal changes in job openings.

Here is a summary of job vacancies and job vacancy rates across different provinces:

• Ontario: 272,400 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 3.9%
• Quebec: 178,500 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 4.4%
• British Columbia: 116,500 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 4.6%
• Alberta: 87,200 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 4.1%
• Manitoba: 26,500 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 4.2%
• Saskatchewan: 26,300 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 5.1%
• Nova Scotia: 17,700 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 3.9%
• New Brunswick: 14,000 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 4.2%
• Newfoundland and Labrador: 6,900 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 3.6%
• Northwest Territories: 5,900 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 5.9%
• Prince Edward Island: 3,900 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 5.2%
• Nunavut: 3,900 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 3.9%
• Yukon: 1,400 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 6.8%

These statistics provide insights into the variations in job vacancies and job vacancy rates across different Canadian provinces in the specified period.

Ontario, as the largest province in Canada, maintains its position with the highest number of job vacancies across various sectors. Following Ontario, in descending order, are Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Atlantic provinces, with varying levels of job vacancies.

Job Vacancies by Sector

The data highlights significant declines in job vacancies across various sectors in Canada. Here are the sectors with the most substantial decreases in job vacancies, along with the corresponding figures and percentage changes:

1. Finance and insurance: Job vacancies in this sector decreased by 8,800, representing a substantial decline of -30.2%.
2. Accommodation and food services: Job vacancies in this sector saw a notable decrease of -7,600, which accounts for a -7.5% change.
3. Construction: The construction sector experienced a significant reduction in job vacancies, with 6,900 fewer vacancies, marking a -10% change.

Here is a breakdown of job vacancies by sector along with their respective job vacancy rates in Canada:

1. Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: 10,800 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 4.3%.
2. Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction: 10,400 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 4.6%.
3. Utilities: 3,300 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 2.5%.
4. Construction: 62,300 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 5.1%.
5. Manufacturing: 58,600 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 3.6%.
6. Wholesale trade: 26,200 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 3.1%.
7. Retail trade: 84,800 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 4.0%.
8. Transportation and warehousing: 40,700 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 4.6%.
9. Information and cultural industries: 10,700 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 2.8%.
10. Finance and insurance: 20,500 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 2.4%.
11. Real estate and rental and leasing: 9,000 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 3.0%.
12. Professional, scientific, and technical services: 44,900 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 3.6%.
13. Management of companies and enterprises: 3,900 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 3.0%.
14. Administrative and support, waste management, and remediation services: 42,100 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 4.8%.
15. Educational services: 24,200 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 1.7%.
16. Health care and social assistance: 147,100 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 6.1%.
17. Arts, entertainment, and recreation: 11,800 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 3.6%.
18. Accommodation and food services: 92,500 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 6.6%.
19. Other services (excluding public administration): 34,900 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 5.9%.
20. Public administration: 14,700 job vacancies with a job vacancy rate of 2.6%.

These figures provide insights into the distribution of job vacancies across various sectors in Canada, along with their corresponding job vacancy rates.

Payroll employment in the healthcare and social support sector witnessed a significant rise of 25,100 jobs, representing a significant gain of 9.2%. After a dip in May, there has been a resurgence.

With a gain of 5,700 positions, or 7.2%, in the retail trade sector in June, job openings increased just slightly. This increase assisted in reducing the decreases seen in April (-6.3%) and May (-7.8%).

Additionally, there was a favorable shift in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sectors, with 2,100 additional job opportunities, reaching 10,400 in June.

How High Is Canada’s Unemployment Rate?

According to the latest data from Statistics Canada, Canada’s unemployment rate increased from 5% in April 2023 to 5.5% in July 2023. This indicates a rise in the percentage of individuals who are currently unemployed in the country during that period.