Late last month, Statistics Canada released updated data on employment and average weekly earnings for each of the provinces. The new seasonally adjusted data was as of November 2022.
I figured I’d take a look to see how the wage situation looks in Alberta.
| AB | $1,277.78 |
| ON | $1,203.64 |
| NL | $1,178.30 |
| BC | $1,177.45 |
| SK | $1,149.77 |
| QC | $1,124.11 |
| NB | $1,076.99 |
| MB | $1,076.52 |
| NS | $1,031.80 |
| PEI | $994.16 |
Unsurprisingly, Alberta had the highest average weekly wages in Canada. This is something Alberta politicians have been extolling for years.
But take a look at the increase in weekly wages.
In November 2022, the average weekly wages were $1,262.90 in Alberta. The month before, that number was $1,262.90. That’s a $14.88 increase, the largest increase in the country.
| Oct 2022 | Nov 2022 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | $1,262.90 | $1,277.78 | $14.88 | 1.18% |
| NL | $1,166.89 | $1,178.30 | $11.41 | 0.98% |
| PEI | $987.68 | $994.16 | $6.48 | 0.66% |
| SK | $1,145.75 | $1,149.77 | $4.02 | 0.35% |
| BC | $1,174.09 | $1,177.45 | $3.36 | 0.29% |
| NB | $1,074.72 | $1,076.99 | $2.27 | 0.21% |
| ON | $1,202.67 | $1,203.64 | $0.97 | 0.08% |
| MB | $1,076.52 | $1,076.52 | $0.00 | 0.00% |
| QC | $1,125.02 | $1,124.11 | -$0.91 | -0.08% |
| NS | $1,035.31 | $1,031.80 | -$3.51 | -0.34% |
When we look at the increase as a percentage of August’s job numbers, we see that Alberta is still in first place.
Next, let’s look at the last year.
| Nov 2021 | Nov 2022 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL | $1,106.49 | $1,178.30 | $71.81 | 6.49% |
| NB | $1,014.52 | $1,076.99 | $62.47 | 6.16% |
| PEI | $939.12 | $994.16 | $55.04 | 5.86% |
| MB | $1,024.44 | $1,076.52 | $52.08 | 5.08% |
| NS | $982.59 | $1,031.80 | $49.21 | 5.01% |
| AB | $1,230.45 | $1,277.78 | $47.33 | 3.85% |
| BC | $1,132.25 | $1,177.45 | $45.20 | 3.99% |
| ON | $1,160.25 | $1,203.64 | $43.39 | 3.74% |
| QC | $1,081.21 | $1,124.11 | $42.90 | 3.97% |
| SK | $1,108.77 | $1,149.77 | $41.00 | 3.70% |
Alberta actually had the fifth smallest increase when we compare to November 2021. So, wages still increased, but by not as much as 5 other provinces.
The national average was $47.55, which was just a few cents more a week than what workers in Alberta saw wages increase by.
On a percentage basis, however, we drop to third from the bottom, with only Ontario and Saskatchewan seeing worse wage growth that us..
Here’s what job numbers look like when we compare November 2022 to November 2020, eight months into the pandemic.
| Nov 2020 | Nov 2022 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL | $1,078.51 | $1,178.30 | $99.79 | 9.25% |
| NB | $990.79 | $1,076.99 | $86.20 | 8.70% |
| AB | $1,199.33 | $1,277.78 | $78.45 | 6.54% |
| NS | $955.89 | $1,031.80 | $75.91 | 7.94% |
| BC | $1,102.95 | $1,177.45 | $74.50 | 6.75% |
| MB | $1,007.29 | $1,076.52 | $69.23 | 6.87% |
| QC | $1,056.75 | $1,124.11 | $67.36 | 6.37% |
| SK | $1,083.99 | $1,149.77 | $65.78 | 6.07% |
| PEI | $940.20 | $994.16 | $53.96 | 5.74% |
| ON | $1,151.75 | $1,203.64 | $51.89 | 4.51% |
Here we see that Alberta had the third largest increase in wages over the last two years, but 6th largest relative to average weekly wages in November 2020.
But look how bad things are if we go 3 years out, to November 2019, five months after the UCP cut the corporate profit tax, what they called a “Job Creation Tax Cut”.
| Nov 2019 | Nov 2022 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC | $1,014.99 | $1,177.45 | $162.46 | 16.01% |
| QC | $981.88 | $1,124.11 | $142.23 | 14.49% |
| ON | $1,063.85 | $1,203.64 | $139.79 | 13.14% |
| NB | $956.78 | $1,076.99 | $120.21 | 12.56% |
| NL | $1,061.39 | $1,178.30 | $116.91 | 11.01% |
| MB | $961.51 | $1,076.52 | $115.01 | 11.96% |
| PEI | $884.75 | $994.16 | $109.41 | 12.37% |
| NS | $927.38 | $1,031.80 | $104.42 | 11.26% |
| AB | $1,173.89 | $1,277.78 | $103.89 | 8.85% |
| SK | $1,062.81 | $1,149.77 | $86.96 | 8.18% |
Alberta’s growth in average weekly wages over the last 3 years was the second lowest of all the provinces in Canada. We also had the second lowest percentage-based increase. Saskatchewan was the next lowest, at $86.96.
BC, however, had the highest increase to average weekly wages over the last 3 years, rising by $162.46 a week, roughly $60 more a week than what the average Alberta worker saw during the same period.
Finally, here’s how wages changed since November 2018, the last November under the NDP.
| Nov 2018 | Nov 2022 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC | $981.23 | $1,177.45 | $196.22 | 20.00% |
| QC | $935.91 | $1,124.11 | $188.20 | 20.11% |
| ON | $1,035.08 | $1,203.64 | $168.56 | 16.28% |
| NB | $925.14 | $1,076.99 | $151.85 | 16.41% |
| NS | $887.82 | $1,031.80 | $143.98 | 16.22% |
| PEI | $854.02 | $994.16 | $140.14 | 16.41% |
| NL | $1,040.02 | $1,178.30 | $138.28 | 13.30% |
| MB | $944.73 | $1,076.52 | $131.79 | 13.95% |
| AB | $1,153.05 | $1,277.78 | $124.73 | 10.82% |
| SK | $1,027.35 | $1,149.77 | $122.42 | 11.92% |
Compared to the last November when the NDP were in charge, Alberta’s workers saw an average increase to weekly wages of $124.73, the second smallest increase in the country.
Relative to November 2018’s wages, however, that increase was only 10.82%, the smallest increase among all the provinces.
BC had the largest increase, with the average worker there getting nearly $200 more per week than they did 4 years ago. Québec’s workers got an extra $188.20, an increase of 20.11%, the largest percentage-based increase in the country.
If these sort of increases keep happening, Alberta workers may no longer have the highest wages in the country. Here, take a look at this chart, which compares BC, with the largest increase in weekly wages, to Alberta.
See that? BC has been catching up to Alberta over the last four years. I mean, they’re not there yet, but they’ve gone from being $171.82 a week behind Alberta to $100.33 a week behind them. If this keeps up, they’ll be $58.59 behind in the next 4 years.
8 replies on “AB had worst wage growth in Canada under UCP”
Yes ,may be right, but we were already one of the highest wage earners just balancees out
If only Alberta had the lowest inflation, so Alberta workers didn’t find it so difficult to live.
Yeah but consider they pay less for just about everything they actually still come out on top, 30-40¢ less for fuel, beef is cheaper, housing is cheaper I could go on but, you get the point
Everything might be cheaper, but the cost of living still increased under inflation.
You think beef is cheaper and just about everything else? Where are you getting that from there bud?
We don’t have a PST, but secretly it’s added in to a lot of items. We pay far more for food than say Ontario or BC. I know thus because I was in both areas recently
It’s called consumer price index. That’s where you get that from bud.
I’m not sure what this is regarding.
it is unfortunate no gender, race or age breakdown is available or discussed–that would give a more complex snap shot that generalized data does not. Even incorporating a stock photograph that moves beyond the common representations of the worker –as male; white– might aspire to slightly puncture the stereotypes of Alberta’s waged worker.