Despite dipping in November, Alberta continues to have the highest average weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees for all provinces in Canada.
A report released Thursday by Statistics Canada said earnings fell by 1.1 per cent in November to $1,180.16 in Alberta. However, on a year-over-year basis earnings were up 2.6 per cent.
“Several sectors contributed to the earnings growth, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction,” said the federal agency.
Also, the number of employees in the province was down 5,200 from the previous month but year-over-year that number rose by 15,700.
In Canada, the federal agency said average weekly earnings fell by 0.3 per cent in November to $1,041.79 but they too were up on an annual basis by 3.1 per cent.
The mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industries saw weekly earnings nationally jump by 1.9 per cent month-over-month and by 8.2 per cent year-over-year to $2,254.16
Statistics Canada said the number of payroll employees in Canada declined by 12,000 from October.
“Decreases were recorded in a number of sectors, including retail trade and manufacturing, with increases in educational services and in health care and social assistance moderating the decline . . . Year over year, the number of payroll employees increased by 257,700 (+1.5 per cent) in November. Employment grew in most sectors, led by health care and social assistance (+57,200 or +2.9 per cent), educational services (+43,600 or +3.3 per cent), as well as professional, scientific and technical services (+38,300 or +4.0 per cent),” it said.
Mario Toneguzzi is a business reporter in Calgary.
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