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February 28, 2020COMPENSATION OF EMPLOYEES Q4 2019 
Nova Scotia's seasonally adjusted employee compensation (wages+salaries+employer social contributions) increased 2.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2019 to $6.373 billion. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2018 compensation was up 6.9 per cent - this is the largest year-over-year growth rate since Q3 1999.
The wages and salaries portion of employee compensation was up 2.4 per cent to $5.497 billion in the fourth quarter; an increase of 6.9 per cent over the same quarter in 2018. Employers' social contributions increased 2.3 per cent in the quarter and were 7.1 per cent higher than the fourth quarter 2018.
For the quarter, Canada's employee compensation was up 1.2 per cent as compensation increased in all provinces. Quarterly growth was fastest in Nova Scotia (+2.4%)and the slowest growth was in Manitoba (+0.3%).
Comparing 2019 with 2018, Canada's employee compensation was up 4.4 per cent. The fastest growth was Quebec (+6.1%), New Brunswick (+5.7%), and Nova Scotia (5.5%). Nine provinces had growth of 3 per cent or more with Alberta (+2.4%) reporting growth below 3 per cent.
Comparing the seasonally unadjusted data for 2019 with 2018 total wages and salaries increased 5.6 per cent in Nova Scotia. The total wages and salaries paid in the goods sector rose by 4.9 per cent. The total wages and salaries rose in agriculture, forestry and fishing (+3.1%), mining, oil and gas (+3.9%), manufacturing (+6.2%), construction (+3.8%) and utilities (+5.8%).
All private sector service sectors had year over year growth. Growth was strongest in professional services (+7.7%), information and cultural industries (+6.7%), and trade (+3.6%) but also up in finance and real estate (+1.8%) and transportation and storage (+1.3%).
Total wages and salaries were up for e health Care and Social Assistance (+10.5%), educational services (+8.2%), federal public administration (+2.3%), military (+2.1%), provincial public administration (+1.5%) and declined in local public administration (-0.1%).
Note: comparison of wages and salaries by sector rely on data that are neither seasonally adjusted nor adjusted to reflect differences in pay periods from one year to the next.
Statistics Canada. Table 36-10-0205-01 Wages, salaries and employers' social contributions (x 1,000)
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