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January 30, 2025PAYROLL EMPLOYMENT AND AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS, NOVEMBER 2024 Monthly (November 2024 vs October 2024, seasonally adjusted)
Nova Scotia had 457,513 payroll employees in November 2024, down 0.15% (-681) compared to October 2024. Canada had 18.15 million employees, down 0.31% from October 2024. There were declines in all provinces except Saskatchewan, with Prince Edward Island reporting the largest decline.
Nova Scotians' average weekly earnings were $1,151.32 in November of 2024, an increase of $11.54 (+1.01%) from October 2024.
Nationally, average weekly earnings were $1,285.91, an increase of 0.13% (+$1.67) from average weekly earnings in October 2024. Four provinces reported increases in average weekly earnings, with the largest increase in Newfoundland and Labrador. The fastest decline was reported in Quebec.
Nova Scotia's average weekly earnings in November 2024 were second lowest among provinces, ahead of Prince Edward Island. Alberta reported the highest average weekly earnings.
Nova Scotia's average weekly earnings were highest in finance/insurance, professional/technical services, information/culture, and company management industries. The lowest average weekly earnings were reported in Nova Scotia's accommodations/food service industries, retail trade, and arts/entertainment/recreation.
In November 2024, Nova Scotia's average weekly wages were 89.5% of the national average. Nova Scotia average weekly wages were below the comparable national average for every industry except accommodation/food services, with the smallest gaps reported for arts/entertainment/recreation and health/social assistance. The largest gap reported was in forestry/logging (77.0% of the national average).
Year-over-year (November 2024 vs November 2023)
Compared with the same month in 2023, Nova Scotia's payroll employment grew by 1.7% (+7,612) in November 2024. This was faster than the national average gain of 0.8%. Seven provinces reported growth in payroll employment with the fastest gain in Saskatchewan. Newfoundland and Labrador reported the fastest decline.
Among the industries reported on by Statistics Canada, Nova Scotia's largest industries of employment were health care/social assistance (which includes daycares), followed by retail trade and education.
Real estate/leasing as well as wholesale trade had the fastest year-over-year growth in payroll employment in Nova Scotia. Transportation reported the largest percentage decline in payroll employment.
Average weekly wages grew by 5.2% in Nova Scotia from November 2023 to November 2024. This was stronger than the national pace of 5.0%.
Average weekly wages grew by 5.0% across Canada from November 2023 to November 2024. There were gains in each province, with the fastest increase in Ontario. Manitoba reported the slowest gain.
Average weekly wages were up 5.2% in Nova Scotia's goods-producing industries and up 4.9% in Nova Scotia's services-producing industries. All of the reported industries except forestry/logging had year-over-year growth in average weekly wages with the largest increases in transportation, personal/repair services, finance/insurance, and administrative support/call centres.
Year-to-date (January-November 2024 vs January-November 2023)
In January-November 2024, Nova Scotia's payroll employment increased 1.8% over January-November 2023, the largest gain among provinces (tied with Alberta). Across Canada, payroll employment growth was 1.0% with gains in all provinces except Newfoundland and Labrador.
In January-November 2024, construction as well as health care/social assistance industries reported the fastest employment growth in percentage terms compared to the same period in 2023. Administrative support/call centres, transportation, and forestry/logging reported the largest percentage declines.
In January-November 2024, Nova Scotia's average weekly earnings increased by 5.1% compared to the same period in 2023. National average weekly earnings were up 4.4% in the first eleven months of the year with gains in all provinces. Prince Edward Island reported the fastest gain in average weekly earnings while New Brunswick reported the slowest growth, year-to-date.
In January-November 2024, information/culture, wholesale trade, and health care/social assistance reported the fastest percentage gains in average weekly earnings compared to the same period in 2023. The only decline reported was in education.
In January-November 2024, Nova Scotia's average weekly earnings were highest in professional/technical services industries followed by information/culture. Nova Scotians' average weekly earnings averaged 89.1% of the national value for all industries in January-November 2024. All Nova Scotia industries reported average weekly earnings below their national counterparts with the exception of health care/social assistance. The gaps were narrowest in accommodation/food services as well as retail trade. Public administration workers in Nova Scotia reported the largest gap in average weekly earnings compared with the national average for the industry.
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0222-01 Employment, average hourly and weekly earnings (including overtime), and average weekly hours for the industrial aggregate excluding unclassified businesses, monthly, seasonally adjusted; Table 14-10-0223-01 Employment and average weekly earnings (including overtime) for all employees by province and territory, monthly, seasonally adjusted
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