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May 25, 2023PAYROLL EMPLOYMENT AND AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS, MARCH 2023 Month-over-month (March 2023 vs February 2023, seasonally adjusted)
Nova Scotia had 445,287 payroll employees in March 2023, down 0.2% (-770) compared to February 2023. Canada had 17.91 million employees, down 0.1% from February 2023. There were gains in seven provinces, led by Prince Edward Island, but these were offset by declines in Ontario, British Columbia and Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotians' average weekly earnings were $1,037.28 in March of 2023, a decrease of $4.70 (-0.5%) from revised February 2023 results.
Nationally, average weekly earnings were $1,185.03, an increase of 0.7% (+$7.74) from average weekly earnings in February 2023. Seven provinces reported decreases in average weekly earnings. Saskatchewan and New Brunswick reported the biggest gains while Prince Edward Island reported the largest decline.
Nova Scotia's average weekly earnings in March 2023 were second lowest among provinces (ahead of only Prince Edward Island). Alberta reported the highest average weekly earnings.
Nova Scotia's average weekly earnings were highest in professional and technical services, company management, and finance and insurance industries. The lowest average weekly earnings were reported in Nova Scotia's accommodations and food service industries and in retail trade.
In March 2023, Nova Scotia's average weekly wages were 84.7% of the national average. Nova Scotia average weekly wages were below the comparable national average for every industry except arts, entertainment and recreation. The smallest gaps were in finance and insurance, health and social assistance as well as retail trade. The largest gaps were in information and culture (84.9% of the national average) and public administration (84.7% of the national average).
Year-over-year (March 2023 vs March 2022)
Compared with the same month in 2022, Nova Scotia's payroll employment grew by 2.7% (+11,667) in March 2023. This was slower than the national average gain of 3.3%. All provinces reported growth in payroll employment, with the fastest gain in Alberta and the slowest growth in Québec.
Among the industries reported by Statistics Canada, Nova Scotia's largest industries of employment were health care and social assistance (which includes daycares), followed by retail trade and education.
Accommodation and food services as well as professional and technical services industries and construction had the fastest year-over-year growth in payroll employment in Nova Scotia. Wholesale trade and real estate, rentals and leasing reported the largest percentage declines in payroll employment.
Average weekly wages grew by 3.1% in Nova Scotia from March 2022 to March 2023. This was faster than the national pace of 1.4%.
Average weekly wages grew by 1.4% across Canada from March 2022 to March 2023. There were gains in each province, with the fastest rise in Manitoba. Québec reported the slowest gain.
Average weekly wages were up 8.1% in Nova Scotia's goods-producing industries and 1.9% in Nova Scotia's services-producing industries. Most of the industries reported year-over-year growth in average weekly wages with the largest increases in arts and recreation as well as professional and technical services and manufacturing industries. Average weekly wages were down for retail trade, transportation and warehousing, information and culture, and finance and insurance.
Year-to-date (January-March 2023 vs January-March 2022)
In January-March 2023, Nova Scotia's payroll employment increased 2.0% over January-March 2022. Across Canada, payroll employment growth was 2.1% with gains in all provinces. Alberta reported the fastest rise in payroll employment while Prince Edward Island and Manitoba reported the slowest growth rates.
In January-March 2023, professional and technical services, construction as well as forestry and logging industries reported the fastest employment growth in percentage terms compared to the same period in 2022. Information and culture reported the largest percentage decline.
In January-March 2023, Nova Scotia's average weekly earnings increased by 1.8% compared to the same period in 2022. National average weekly earnings were up 1.4% in the first three months of the year with gains in all provinces. Prince Edward Island reported the fastest gain in average weekly earnings while Alberta reported the slowest rises.
In January-March 2023, manufacturing, arts and recreation, and wholesale trade reported the fastest percentage gains in average weekly earnings compared to the same period in 2022. Information and culture reported the largest percentage decline.
In January-March 2023, Nova Scotia's average weekly earnings were highest in professional and technical services as well as in company management industries. Nova Scotians' average weekly earnings averaged 85.2% of the national value for all industries in January-March 2023. All Nova Scotia industries except for arts, entertainment and recreation reported average weekly earnings below their national counterparts. The gaps were narrowest in retail trade as well as finance and insurance. Information and culture 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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