Construction, accommodation and food services see biggest gains:Statcan
Employees in eight of the 10 biggest industrial sectors in Canada showed higher year-on-year weekly earnings in August 2019, with the construction, accommodation and food services industries recording the biggest gains.
Average weekly earnings in construction rose by 3.9 per cent to $1,321, with the construction of buildings and specialty trade contractors subsectors powering the development. Quebec and Ontario accounted for the majority of the earnings growth in the sector, according to Statistics Canada,
The Job Vacancy and Wage Survey shows that construction companies typically offered $24.20 per hour in the second quarter of 2019, up 6.4 per cent from the $22.75 hourly rate in the second quarter of last year.
Average weekly earnings in accommodation and food services also increased by 3.9 per cent to $422. Full-service and limited-service restaurants and traveller accommodation contributed to the growth. Ontario contributed the most to the increase, but the growth was spread across most provinces.
Payroll employees in administrative and support services also saw a 3.8 per cent weekly rate increase in August, said the government report, with earnings now up to $830. Gains in employment services and in services to buildings and dwellings accounted for most of the increase at the national level, but a decline in office administrative services tempered overall growth in the sector. The increase is mostly attributable to Ontario and Quebec.
Employees in manufacturing received a weekly rate of $1,146 in August 2019, thanks to a 3.8 per cent year-over-year increase and the development of the transportation equipment manufacturing and food manufacturing subsectors. This is despite the marked decline in machinery manufacturing, said Statistics Canada. Most of the rise was attributable to Quebec.
Health care and social assistance employees also saw a 3.4 per cent weekly rate increase in August compared to the same period last year. Earnings are now at $929 per week. The professional, scientific and technical services sector (up 2.2 per cent to $1,446), retail trade sector (up 1.6 per cent to $625) and public administration sector (up 1.3 per cent to $1,331) also saw the same trend.
Earnings in nine provinces up
Weekly earnings in nine provinces in the country also showed a year-over-year increase. Newfoundland and Labrador showed the biggest increase of 4.5 per cent to $1,077 per week followed by Nova Scotia, which recorded a 3.9 per cent growth to $911.
Ontario came in third and recorded a 3.6 per cent increase to $1,063 in the same period, followed by Quebec ($3.6 per cent to $969), Prince Edward Island (2.7 per cent to $873), British Columbia (2.2 per cent to $1,002), and New Brunswick (two per cent to $940). Saskatchewan (1.9 per cent to $1,027) and Alberta (0.9 per cent to $1,171) also recorded the same growth, said the government.
The number of payroll employees also increased to 345,800 in August 2019, up 2.1 per cent on a year-over-year basis. The health care and social assistance sector recorded the biggest increase in the number of workers, with 63,100 more workers and a 3.2 per cent increase in the number year-over-year.
Educational services (up 49,300 or 3.7 per cent), and professional, scientific and technical services (up 47,100 or five per cent) also saw more employees on the payroll.
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (down 3,100 or 1.5 per cent) and forestry, logging and support (down 1,500 or 3.7 per cent) both recorded a decrease in the number of employees, said Statistics Canada.
