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 January 2023.
I figured I’d take a look to see how the wage situation looks in Alberta.
| AB | $1,268.44 |
| ON | $1,217.02 |
| BC | $1,182.48 |
| NL | $1,175.09 |
| SK | $1,157.42 |
| QC | $1,140.91 |
| MB | $1,086.24 |
| NB | $1,079.32 |
| NS | $1,033.89 |
| PEI | $992.10 |
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 January 2023, the average weekly wages were $1,268.44 in Alberta. The month before, that number was $1,267.09. That’s a $1.35 decrease, the smallest increase in the country.
| Dec 2022 | Jan 2023 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ON | $1,187.31 | $1,217.02 | $29.71 | 2.50% |
| BC | $1,153.31 | $1,182.48 | $29.17 | 2.53% |
| SK | $1,137.89 | $1,157.42 | $19.53 | 1.72% |
| QC | $1,124.06 | $1,140.91 | $16.85 | 1.50% |
| PEI | $981.20 | $992.10 | $10.90 | 1.11% |
| MB | $1,081.27 | $1,086.24 | $4.97 | 0.46% |
| NB | $1,076.48 | $1,079.32 | $2.84 | 0.26% |
| NL | $1,173.25 | $1,175.09 | $1.84 | 0.16% |
| NS | $1,032.26 | $1,033.89 | $1.63 | 0.16% |
| AB | $1,267.09 | $1,268.44 | $1.35 | 0.11% |
When we look at the increase as a percentage of December’s job numbers, we see that Alberta is still in last place.
Next, let’s look at the last year.
| Jan 2022 | Jan 2023 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL | $1,116.18 | $1,175.09 | $58.91 | 5.28% |
| MB | $1,034.99 | $1,086.24 | $51.25 | 4.95% |
| NB | $1,034.86 | $1,079.32 | $44.46 | 4.30% |
| QC | $1,098.89 | $1,140.91 | $42.02 | 3.82% |
| ON | $1,184.64 | $1,217.02 | $32.38 | 2.73% |
| PEI | $961.26 | $992.10 | $30.84 | 3.21% |
| NS | $1,005.10 | $1,033.89 | $28.79 | 2.86% |
| BC | $1,155.32 | $1,182.48 | $27.16 | 2.35% |
| SK | $1,135.64 | $1,157.42 | $21.78 | 1.92% |
| AB | $1,248.54 | $1,268.44 | $19.90 | 1.59% |
Alberta once again had the smallest increase when we compare to January 2022. So, wages still increased, but by not as much as 9 other provinces.
The national average increase was $35.75, which was over $15 more a week than what workers in Alberta saw wages increase by.
On a percentage basis, we’re still at the bottom.
Here’s what job numbers look like when we compare January 2023 to January 2021, 10 months into the pandemic.
| Jan 2021 | Jan 2023 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL | $1,086.78 | $1,175.09 | $88.31 | 8.13% |
| NB | $1,007.18 | $1,079.32 | $72.14 | 7.16% |
| BC | $1,110.85 | $1,182.48 | $71.63 | 6.45% |
| QC | $1,075.37 | $1,140.91 | $65.54 | 6.09% |
| SK | $1,093.22 | $1,157.42 | $64.20 | 5.87% |
| MB | $1,022.07 | $1,086.24 | $64.17 | 6.28% |
| PEI | $945.41 | $992.10 | $46.69 | 4.94% |
| ON | $1,172.93 | $1,217.02 | $44.09 | 3.76% |
| NS | $992.37 | $1,033.89 | $41.52 | 4.18% |
| AB | $1,230.97 | $1,268.44 | $37.47 | 3.04% |
Here we see that Alberta still has the worst increase in wages over the last two years, in both absolute dollars and as a percentage of 2021’s wages.
But look how bad things are if we go 3 years out, to January 2020, 7 months after the UCP cut the corporate profit tax, what they called a “Job Creation Tax Cut”.
| Jan 2020 | Jan 2023 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC | $1,024.11 | $1,182.48 | $158.37 | 15.46% |
| ON | $1,063.09 | $1,217.02 | $153.93 | 14.48% |
| QC | $994.96 | $1,140.91 | $145.95 | 14.67% |
| MB | $950.17 | $1,086.24 | $136.07 | 14.32% |
| NB | $961.96 | $1,079.32 | $117.36 | 12.20% |
| PEI | $877.85 | $992.10 | $114.25 | 13.01% |
| SK | $1,046.47 | $1,157.42 | $110.95 | 10.60% |
| NL | $1,070.78 | $1,175.09 | $104.31 | 9.74% |
| NS | $932.52 | $1,033.89 | $101.37 | 10.87% |
| AB | $1,179.44 | $1,268.44 | $89.00 | 7.55% |
Alberta’s growth in average weekly wages over the last 3 years was still the lowest of all the provinces in Canada. We also had the lowest percentage-based increase. Not only that, but Alberta was the only province whose increase was not above $100 a week.
Nova Scotia was the province with the next lowest increase, at $101.37.
BC, however, had the highest increase to average weekly wages over the last 3 years, rising by $158.37 a week, almost $70 more a week than what the average Alberta worker saw during the same period.
Finally, here’s how wages changed since January 2019, the last January under the NDP.
| Jan 2019 | Jan 2023 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC | $972.55 | $1,182.48 | $209.93 | 21.59% |
| QC | $948.19 | $1,140.91 | $192.72 | 20.33% |
| ON | $1,029.57 | $1,217.02 | $187.45 | 18.21% |
| NB | $924.65 | $1,079.32 | $154.67 | 16.73% |
| NS | $893.09 | $1,033.89 | $140.80 | 15.77% |
| PEI | $852.50 | $992.10 | $139.60 | 16.38% |
| NL | $1,042.01 | $1,175.09 | $133.08 | 12.77% |
| SK | $1,028.29 | $1,157.42 | $129.13 | 12.56% |
| MB | $957.46 | $1,086.24 | $128.78 | 13.45% |
| AB | $1,140.76 | $1,268.44 | $127.68 | 11.19% |
Compared to the last January when the NDP were in charge, Alberta’s workers saw an average increase to weekly wages of $127.68, the smallest increase in the country.
Relative to December 2018’s wages, however, that increase was only 11.19%, also the smallest increase among all the provinces.
No matter how we look at the increase that Alberta’s payroll employees saw in their wages, it was the worst increase in the country.
BC, once again, had the largest increase, with the average worker there getting nearly $210 more per week than they did 4 years ago. BC’s workers got an extra $209.93, an increase of 21.59%, 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 $168.21 a week behind Alberta to $85.96 a week behind them. If this keeps up, they’ll be just $43.93 behind in the next 4 years.
