Payroll employment, earnings and hours, November 2017
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Released: 2018-01-25
$988.29
November 2017
2.8% 
(12-month change)
$1,041.77
November 2017
0.8%
(12-month change)
$837.40
November 2017
1.8%
(12-month change)
$870.74
November 2017
2.8%
(12-month change)
$904.12
November 2017
2.8%
(12-month change)
$918.70
November 2017
3.9%
(12-month change)
$1,005.43
November 2017
2.7%
(12-month change)
$916.37
November 2017
2.0%
(12-month change)
$1,014.72
November 2017
2.5%
(12-month change)
$1,143.92
November 2017
2.5%
(12-month change)
$947.89
November 2017
2.2%
(12-month change)
$1,061.04
November 2017
0.3%
(12-month change)
$1,399.61
November 2017
0.6%
(12-month change)
$1,344.02
November 2017
2.7%
(12-month change)
Average weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees were $988 in November, increasing 0.6% from October. Compared with 12 months earlier, earnings were up 2.8%, with most of the gains having occurred since July 2017.
Chart 1
Year-over-year change in average weekly earnings and average weekly hours
In general, changes in weekly earnings reflect a number of factors, including wage growth; changes in the composition of employment by industry, occupation and level of job experience; and average hours worked per week.
Non-farm payroll employees worked an average of 33.0 hours per week in November, up from 32.8 hours in October and 32.7 hours in November 2016.
Average weekly earnings by sector
In the 12 months to November, average weekly earnings increased in 7 of the 10 largest industrial sectors, led by accommodation and food services, wholesale trade, and retail trade. At the same time, earnings were little changed in educational services, manufacturing, and administrative and support services.
Chart 2
Year-over-year change in average weekly earnings in the 10 largest sectors, November 2017
Average weekly earnings in accommodation and food services rose 6.7% to $393, with the increase spread across the majority of provinces. Most of the year-over-year gains were the result of earnings growth from February to June 2017. Full-service restaurants and limited service eating places, as well as traveller accommodation, accounted for the majority of the increase.
In wholesale trade, average weekly earnings were up 6.5% to $1,230. Wholesalers of machinery, equipment and supplies contributed the most to the rise, with wholesalers of food, beverage and tobacco also accounting for a notable share of the increase. Among the provinces, notable gains in the sector were observed in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.
Earnings in retail trade rose 5.2% to an average of $575 per week, mainly due to growth in Ontario and Quebec. Part of the increase was the result of earnings being at a relatively low point in November 2016. Health and personal care stores, motor vehicle and parts dealers, and clothing and clothing accessories stores made the largest contributions to the increase. Average weekly earnings in the sector have been trending upward since July 2017.
Average weekly earnings in public administration grew 3.2% to $1,277 in the 12 months to November. The growth in earnings was driven by gains in local, municipal and regional public administration, with Ontario accounting for the bulk of the overall increase.
Among payroll employees in professional, scientific and technical services, average weekly earnings were up 3.0% to $1,354, boosted by growth in Ontario and Quebec. Accounting, tax preparation and bookkeeping services contributed the most to the year-over-year increase.
In health care and social assistance, earnings rose 2.3% to an average of $896 per week, largely due to gains in Quebec. Most of the increase in the sector was attributable to gains in ambulatory health care services, such as offices of physicians and dentists.
Average earnings in construction grew 2.1% to $1,243 per week, mainly the result of growth in Ontario. Marked increases were also observed in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Heavy and civil engineering construction made the largest contribution to year-over-year growth in the sector.
Among the smaller industrial sectors, average weekly earnings in finance and insurance were up 5.3% to $1,350, one of the largest contributors to the national year-over-year increase of 2.8%. Growth in the finance and insurance sector was primarily driven by credit intermediation and related activities. While earnings in the sector rose in five provinces, the overall increase was mainly the result of gains in Ontario.
Average weekly earnings by province
Compared with 12 months earlier, average weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees increased in nine provinces, led by Quebec. At the same time, earnings were little changed in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Chart 3
Year-over-year change in average weekly earnings by province, November 2017
Average weekly earnings in Quebec were up 3.9% to $919. Growth was spread across the majority of sectors, with health care and social assistance; retail trade; and professional, scientific and technical services contributing the most to the rise.
For payroll employees in Nova Scotia, average weekly earnings grew 2.8% to $871. A notable increase occurred in wholesale trade, the sector which made the largest contribution to the earnings gain in the province. Construction, educational services and retail trade also accounted for a considerable share of the growth.
Earnings in New Brunswick rose 2.8% to an average of $904 per week, driven by growth in health care and social assistance, transportation and warehousing, and construction. The majority of the year-over-year increase was the result of gains which occurred after July 2017.
For payroll employees in Ontario, average weekly earnings were up 2.7% to $1,005 in the 12 months to November. The growth was spread across many sectors, with public administration, finance and insurance, wholesale trade, and retail trade contributing the most to the increase.
Average weekly earnings in Alberta were up 2.5% to $1,144. The increase was driven by earnings growth in retail trade, real estate and rental and leasing, and accommodation and food services.
In Saskatchewan, average earnings grew 2.5% to $1,015 per week. Earnings in the province were boosted by gains in a number of sectors, led by retail trade and wholesale trade.
Among payroll employees in British Columbia, average weekly earnings rose 2.2% to $948. The notable contributions of health care and social assistance, and retail trade were partly offset by a decline in administrative and support services.
In the 12 months to November, average earnings in Manitoba grew 2.0% to $916 per week. The gains were spread across many sectors, with wholesale trade and retail trade making the largest contributions to the rise. At the same time, earnings growth in the province was tempered by declines in administrative and support services, and in health care and social assistance.
In Prince Edward Island, average weekly earnings increased 1.8% to $837, with gains recorded in the majority of large sectors. After trending downward for most of 2017, earnings in the province have grown since September.
Non-farm payroll employment by sector
The number of non-farm payroll jobs was little changed in November. While payroll employment increased in several sectors, most notably in public administration, health care and social assistance, and construction, the gains were partly offset by declines in a smaller number of sectors, led by educational services. The decrease in educational services in November was mostly attributable to community colleges and CEGEPs, a decline which coincided with the college faculty strike in Ontario.
Compared with November 2016, payroll employment rose by 325,800 (+2.0%) in November. Increases were spread across the majority of sectors, led by health care and social assistance (+35,300 or +1.9%) and construction (+33,800 or +3.5%). Statistics Canada's other monthly survey of employment, the Labour Force Survey, showed similar employment gains overall (+2.1%), as well as in the health care and social assistance sector (+2.1%) and in construction (+3.6%).
In the November Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours, notable year-over-year growth was also recorded in manufacturing (+31,600 or +2.1%), educational services (+30,500 or +2.4%), professional, scientific and technical services (+27,800 or +3.2%) and public administration (+27,800 or +2.6%).
Sustainable Development Goals
On January 1, 2016, the world officially began implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—the United Nations' transformative plan of action that addresses urgent global challenges over the next 15 years. The plan is based on 17 specific sustainable development goals.
The Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours is an example of how Statistics Canada supports the reporting on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. This release will be used in helping to measure the following goals:
Note to readers
With the March 28 release of January 2018 data, the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH) will start using the 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2.0 instead of NAICS 2012. Data will be revised historically back to 2001. At the same time, seasonally adjusted data will be revised based on the latest seasonal factors. Historical revisions will also be made to a small number of industries by province or territory.
The SEPH is produced by a combination of a census of approximately one million payroll deductions provided by the Canada Revenue Agency, and the Business Payrolls Survey, which collects data from a sample of 15,000 establishments. Federal, provincial and territorial public administration data are collected from various administrative records provided by these levels of government. The key objective of the SEPH is to provide a monthly portrait of the level of earnings and the number of jobs and hours worked by detailed industry at the national, provincial and territorial level.
Estimates of average weekly earnings and hours worked are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling variability. This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level. Payroll employment estimates are based on a census of administrative data and are not subject to sampling variability.
Statistics Canada also produces employment estimates from its Labour Force Survey (LFS). The LFS is a monthly household survey, the main objective of which is to divide the working-age population into three mutually exclusive groups: the employed (including the self-employed), the unemployed, and those not in the labour force. This survey is the official source for the unemployment rate, and collects data on the socio-demographic characteristics of all those in the labour market.
As a result of conceptual and methodological differences, estimates of changes from the SEPH and LFS do differ from time to time. However, the trends in the data are quite similar. To better understand the conceptual differences between employment measures from the LFS and SEPH, refer to section 8 of the Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (72-203-G).
Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data, which facilitate comparisons by removing the effects of seasonal variations. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
Non-farm payroll employment data are for all hourly and salaried employees, as well as for the "other employees" category, which includes piece-rate and commission-only employees.
Unless otherwise specified, average weekly hours data are for hourly and salaried employees only and exclude businesses that could not be classified to a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code.
All earnings data include overtime pay and exclude businesses that could not be classified to a NAICS code. Earnings data are based on gross taxable payroll before source deductions. Average weekly earnings are derived by dividing total weekly earnings by the number of employees.
With each release, data for the current reference month are subject to revision. Data have been revised for the previous month. Users are encouraged to request and use the most up-to-date data for each month.
Real-time CANSIM tables
Real-time CANSIM tables 281-8023, 281-8026, 281-8047 and 281-8063 will be updated on February 5, 2018. For more information, consult the document Real-time CANSIM tables.
Next release
Data on payroll employment, earnings and hours for December 2017 will be released on February 23, 2018.
Products
A summary table is also available.
Job Vacancy Statistics (5202) from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours for October 2017 are now available in CANSIM.
More information about the concepts and use of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours and Job Vacancy Statistics is available in the Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (72-203-G).
Contact information
For more information, contact us (toll-free: 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca).
To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Vincent Hardy (613-290-3707; vincent.hardy@canada.ca) or Client Services (toll-free: 1-866-873-8788; statcan.labour-travail.statcan@canada.ca), Labour Statistics Division.
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