The pay increases benefited employees nationwide with businesses in each of the ten provinces contributing to the increase in hours and pay. Ontario and Quebec drove the increases in five of the nine sectors; Alberta posted the largest increase in accommodation and food services; British Columbia, with Quebec, drove the earnings increase for workers in health care and social assistance, 4.3%. The manufacturing (6.0%) and construction (4.1%) sectors were up in several provinces.
The amount of the increases were different for each sector. For example, workers in professional, scientific and technical services received average increases of $85.00 per week (5.8%). Much of this growth comes from highly paid designers and workers in computer-related services. Weekly earnings for workers in administrative and support services increased $50.75 (6.1%). This category is driven by employment services and services to the buildings and dwelling industries. Employees in the public administration sector are at the opposite end of the spectrum, with an increase of $16.00 per week (1.2%). This wage increase is due to increased earnings in local, municipal and regional public administration.
Weekly earnings increases of $26.91 (4.3%) in the retail trade and $38.88 (3.6%) in educational services round out the nine sectors showing increases in the year-over-year comparison.
The average earnings increase for all industrial sector employees is $45.31 per week.
In the smaller industrial sectors, transportation and warehousing employees averaged weekly earnings increases of $108.73, up 9.7%. This increase comes from the areas of air travel, ground passenger transportation (rail, bus, taxis) and transit systems. The bulk of this increase came from Ontario, home of Canada’s busiest transportation hub, Toronto’s Union Station.
