On a year-over-year basis, after increasing by 4.1% in March, the average weekly wage in Canada increased by 3.7% in April to $1,240. This weekly average earnings were at $1,204 in June 2023. Statistics Canada Survey released report of Employment, Payrolls and Hours on June 27.

Month over month, average weekly earnings were little changed for a third consecutive month in April. The growth in average weekly earnings can reflect a range of factors, including changes in wages, composition of employment, hours worked, and base-year effects. Average weekly hours stood at 33.5 hours in April, unchanged from the previous month but up 0.9% on a year-over-year basis.

The number of employees receiving pay and benefits from their employer—measured as “payroll employment” in the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours—decreased by 22,700 (-0.1%) in April. This decline followed three consecutive monthly increases from January to March, with a cumulative gain of 92,500 (+0.5%) over this period.