Average wage up 2.8% to $942 for Canadians on a payroll

Average weekly earnings in Canada grew 2.8 per cent in the year to October, to an average of $942 a week, according to Statistics Canada.

The rise in income reflects both wage growth and changes in employment in various sectors, as well as average hours worked per week.

Statistics Canada found non-farm employees worked an average of 33 hours a week in October, a figure little changed from a year earlier and one that reflects the preponderance of part-time work in Canada at the expense of full-time jobs.

The number of non-farm payroll employees in Canada has risen by 150,800 or just one per cent to 15.4 million workers.

Retail sector growing

The retail sector saw the biggest gains, with payrolls rising by 4.6 per cent annually, driven in part by a rise in minimum wage in several provinces. A revival of consumer spending is also helping, with retail payrolls rising since the spring of 2014, but the average wage in the sector is still just $554 a week.

Average weekly earnings in manufacturing were up 3.4 per cent on the year to $1,047, with gains in the chemical, paper and other sectors.

Gains in weekly earnings in accommodation and food services, health care and social assistance and wholesale trade also were higher than the national average.

By province, Alberta had the highest average weekly earnings, but Manitoba saw the largest gains.

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