Alberta Wage Earnings Hold Steady as Economy Revives
- June 27, 2018
- By Cody Battershill
Alberta Wage Earnings Gaining Some Ground
As Alberta’s economy slowly recovers from the latest downturn, more and more people are finding their way back to work. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for recovery in wages. These workers may be noticing that their pay cheques aren’t as high as pre-recession levels – although these dollar amounts are getting higher.
Recent data released from Statistics Canada shows the average weekly earnings in Alberta topped out at $1,153 in April of 2018, up 2.4 percent on a year-over-year basis but unchanged from the previous month. -- NOTE: This amount accounts for overtime pay but does not subtract taxes and other deductions. It’s also been seasonally adjusted.
Compared to May of 2016 – which was the lowest earning month throughout the latest recession – wages are up by approximately 4.6 percent. However, although earnings have risen over the past several months, they remain below peak levels seen in December of 2014.
Clearly, the impact of dropping oil prices in 2015 and 2016 had a surmountable affect on wages of workers in Alberta. Despite that fact, the province remains at the top of the list with the highest average wage when compared to the rest of Canada’s provinces, sitting at approximately 16 percent higher above the national average.
Sector Wages
According to Statistics Canada, the highest paid employees in the province are in the energy sector, with earnings of approximately $2,344 per week – more than double the amount of Alberta’s average wage.
Meanwhile, workers in the accommodation and food industries, where there’s many more part-time and entry level positions, earn about $477 per week. This is a normal trend as many younger people who are usually in school work these types of jobs.
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