Labour markets were massively disrupted in 2020 as a result of pandemic-induced economic shut-downs. Losses in jobs and hours impacted lower-earning workers disproportionately, while workers in some higher earning industries and occupations experienced increases in employment and wages. Taken altogether, median annual wages, salaries and commissions in Canada were $39,880 in 2020, up 0.8% from 2019. At the same time, the number of earners among tax filers was virtually unchanged (down 18,510 earners, or 0.1%) and the earnings of lower-earning workers fell 10.6%.
Today, Statistics Canada is releasing new data on the wages, salaries and commissions of Canadian tax filers from the 2020 T1 Family File. The release provides information on the annual earnings of tax filers, using administrative tax data. Over the coming months, Statistics Canada will make available additional data on the incomes of Canadians, including from the Canadian Income Survey, additional information from the T1 Family File and the 2021 Census of Population.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).