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Payroll employment, earnings and hours, November 2019

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Released: 2020-01-30

Average weekly earnings — Canada

$1,041.79

November 2019

3.1% increase

(12-month change)

Average weekly earnings — N.L.

$1,058.81

November 2019

2.3% increase

(12-month change)

Average weekly earnings — P.E.I.

$879.36

November 2019

3.0% increase

(12-month change)

Average weekly earnings — N.S.

$924.20

November 2019

4.2% increase

(12-month change)

Average weekly earnings — N.B.

$953.63

November 2019

3.1% increase

(12-month change)

Average weekly earnings — Que.

$977.60

November 2019

4.3% increase

(12-month change)

Average weekly earnings — Ont.

$1,062.25

November 2019

2.7% increase

(12-month change)

Average weekly earnings — Man.

$966.94

November 2019

2.5% increase

(12-month change)

Average weekly earnings — Sask.

$1,057.74

November 2019

3.1% increase

(12-month change)

Average weekly earnings — Alta.

$1,180.16

November 2019

2.6% increase

(12-month change)

Average weekly earnings — B.C.

$1,011.02

November 2019

3.2% increase

(12-month change)

Average weekly earnings — Y.T.

$1,156.04

November 2019

1.5% increase

(12-month change)

Average weekly earnings — N.W.T.

$1,478.63

November 2019

1.1% increase

(12-month change)

Average weekly earnings — Nvt.

$1,427.28

November 2019

4.2% increase

(12-month change)

The average weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees were $1,042 in November, little changed from October. On a year-over-year basis, earnings grew 3.1%, continuing an upward trend observed since March.

In general, changes in weekly earnings are the result of 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 32.8 hours per week in November, unchanged from October, and little changed from 32.7 hours in November 2018.

Chart 1  Chart 1: Year-over-year change in average weekly earnings and average weekly hours
Year-over-year change in average weekly earnings and average weekly hours

To explore the most recent results of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours in an interactive format, visit the "Earnings and payroll employment in brief: Interactive app."

Administrative and support services lead the growth in earnings

On a year-over-year basis, average weekly earnings grew in 8 of the 10 largest industrial sectors (in terms of employment), led by administrative and support services. There was little change in wholesale trade and construction. Earnings also increased in smaller sectors such as utilities and mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction. Declines were recorded in real estate and rental and leasing as well as in forestry, logging and support.

Chart 2  Chart 2: Year-over-year change in average weekly earnings in the 10 largest sectors, November 2019
Year-over-year change in average weekly earnings in the 10 largest sectors, November 2019

Average weekly earnings in administrative and support services rose 7.9% on a year-over-year basis to $855. The increase was primarily accounted for by investigation and security services as well as services to buildings and dwellings. At the provincial level, Quebec and Alberta contributed the most to the rise.

Compared with November 2018, weekly earnings in professional, scientific and technical services were up 5.7% to $1,472. The increase was spread across several industries, led by computer systems design and related services. Most of the growth in the sector was attributable to Ontario.

In accommodation and food services, average weekly earnings rose 4.0% on a year-over-year basis to $429, with Ontario and Alberta contributing the most to the rise.

Payroll employees in manufacturing earned an average of $1,158 per week in November, up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Provincially, Ontario and Quebec contributed the most to the year-over-year growth in the sector. The increase at the national level was spread across several subsectors, driven by food and transportation equipment manufacturing.

Compared with 12 months earlier, earnings in public administration were 3.6% higher in November, at $1,351. Ontario and Quebec accounted for the majority of the gains in the sector. At the national level, the rise in earnings was primarily due to the local, municipal and regional public administration subsector.

Compared with November 2018, weekly earnings in health care and social assistance grew 2.9% to $947. Most of the growth can be attributed to ambulatory health care services and to hospitals. Provincially, British Columbia is where earnings in health care and social assistance grew the most.

In educational services, earnings rose 2.6% to $1,085, led by British Columbia and Quebec. Universities accounted for most of the growth at the national level.

Year over year, weekly earnings in retail trade increased 2.2% to $632 in November. Food and beverage stores, motor vehicle and parts dealers, and general merchandise stores were the main contributors to the growth in the sector.

Earnings grow in all provinces

Compared with 12 months earlier, average weekly earnings rose in all provinces in November, most notably in Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Chart 3  Chart 3: Year-over-year change in average weekly earnings by province, November 2019
Year-over-year change in average weekly earnings by province, November 2019

Average weekly earnings in Quebec increased 4.3% to $978 in November. The earnings growth was spread over several sectors, with professional, scientific and technical services and public administration contributing the most to the rise.

Payroll employees in Nova Scotia earned an average of $924 per week in November, up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. The growth was spread across several sectors, with health care and social assistance as well as educational services contributing the most to the rise. Earnings in the province have been trending up since May 2018.

Payroll employees in British Columbia earned an average of $1,011 per week in November, up 3.2% from 12 months earlier. The rise was primarily due to health care and social assistance, professional, scientific and technical services, and educational services.

On a year-over-year basis, earnings in Saskatchewan grew 3.1% to $1,058. The growth in the province was mainly attributable to health care and social assistance, as well as retail trade.

Year over year, weekly earnings in New Brunswick grew 3.1% to $954, continuing an upward trend that began in March. The year-over-year increase was driven by educational services and by health care and social assistance.

Compared with 12 months earlier, earnings in Prince Edward Island were 3.0% higher in November, at $879. Manufacturing and health care and social assistance contributed the most to the rise. Earnings in this province have been trending up since July 2018.

In Ontario, earnings rose 2.7% on a year-over-year basis to $1,062. Earnings growth was spread across several sectors, with professional, scientific and technical services contributing the most to the rise.

Weekly earnings in Alberta were up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis, to $1,180 in November. Several sectors contributed to the earnings growth, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction.

Average weekly earnings in Manitoba were $967 in November, up 2.5% compared with 12 months earlier.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, average weekly earnings rose 2.3% on a year-over-year basis to $1,059. Several sectors contributed to the rise, including administrative and support services and retail trade. At the same time, declines in educational services and construction moderated earnings growth in the province.

Payroll employment decreases in November

The number of payroll employees declined by 12,000 from October to November. Decreases were recorded in a number of sectors, including retail trade and manufacturing, with increases in educational services and in health care and social assistance moderating the decline. The release of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours data for November adds to findings of the Labour Force Survey for the same period, which reported declines in both total employment and in manufacturing.

Year over year, the number of payroll employees increased by 257,700 (+1.5%) in November. Employment grew in most sectors, led by health care and social assistance (+57,200 or +2.9%), educational services (+43,600 or +3.3%), as well as professional, scientific and technical services (+38,300 or +4.0%).



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 to measure the following goals:

  Note to readers

The key objective of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH) is to provide a monthly portrait of the level of earnings, employment, and hours worked, by detailed industry, at the national, provincial and territorial levels.

SEPH estimates are produced by integrating information from three sources: a census of approximately one million payroll deduction records provided by the Canada Revenue Agency; the Business Payrolls Survey, which collects data from a sample of 15,000 establishments; and administrative records of federal, provincial and territorial public administration employment provided by these levels of government.

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 records and are not subject to sampling variability.

With each release of SEPH data, data for the preceding month are revised. Users are encouraged to use the most up-to-date data available for each month.

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. For a more in-depth discussion of 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 (Catalogue number72-203-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.

Real-time data tables

Real-time tables 14-10-0357-01, 14-10-0358-01, 14-10-0331-01 and 14-10-0332-01 will be updated on February 10, 2020.

Next release

Data on payroll employment, earnings and hours for December 2019 will be released on February 27, 2020.

Products

More information about the concepts and use of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours is available in the Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (Catalogue number72-203-G).

The product "Earnings and payroll employment in brief: Interactive app" (Catalogue number14200001) is now available. This interactive visualization application provides a comprehensive picture of the Canadian labour market using the most recent data from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. The estimates are seasonally adjusted and available by province and largest industrial sector. Historical estimates, going back 10 years, are also included. The interactive application allows users to quickly and easily explore and personalize the information presented. Combine multiple provinces and industrial sectors to create your own labour market domains of interest.

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 Bertrand Ouellet-Léveillé (613-864-6641; bertrand.ouellet-leveille@canada.ca), Centre for Labour Market Information.

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