Payroll employment, earnings and hours

The average weekly earnings of employees stood at $791.48 in May, up 0.3% from April. Compared with a year earlier, average weekly earnings rose 3.1% whereas consumer prices increased 2.2%.

In May, earnings among Canada's largest industrial sectors increased by 6.2% in accommodation and food services, 3.0% in health and social assistance, 2.8% in retail trade, 2.6% in manufacturing, and 2.2% in educational services, compared with May 2007.

The strongest year-over-year earnings growth was reported in Alberta (+5.4%), Saskatchewan (+5.0%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (+4.9%).

Although down marginally from April to May (-4,800), the number of employees in Canada was up 252,200 (+1.8%) in May compared with the same period last year.

Available on CANSIM: tables 281-0023 to 281-0046.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2612.

Detailed industry data, data by size of enterprise based on employment, and other labour market indicators will be available soon in the monthly publication Employment, Earnings and Hours (72-002-XIB, free).

Data on payroll employment, earnings and hours for June will be released on August 27.

For general information or to order data, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-866-873-8788; 613-951-4090; labour@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Benjamen Lee (613-951-4067), Labour Statistics Division.

Table(s).