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June 29, 2023PAYROLL EMPLOYMENT AND AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS, APRIL 2023 Monthly (April 2023 vs March 2023, seasonally adjusted)
Nova Scotia had 441,437 payroll employees in April 2023, down 0.9% (-4,062) compared to March 2023. Canada had 17.79 million employees, down 0.8% from March 2023. There were declines in eight provinces, led by Newfoundland and Labrador, but these were partially offset by gains in Alberta and British Columbia.
Nova Scotians' average weekly earnings were $1,057.56 in April of 2023, a gain of $13.36 (+1.3%) from revised March 2023 results.
Nationally, average weekly earnings were $1,194.10, an increase of 0.4% (+$5.01) from average weekly earnings in March 2023. Seven provinces reported gains in average weekly earnings. Nova Scotia and Alberta reported the biggest gains while Saskatchewan reported the largest decline.
Nova Scotia's average weekly earnings in April 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 company management, professional and technical services, and information and culture industries. The lowest average weekly earnings were reported in Nova Scotia's accommodations and food service industries and in arts, entertainment and recreation.
In April 2023, Nova Scotia's average weekly wages were 88.6% of the national average. Nova Scotia average weekly wages were below the comparable national average for every industry. The smallest gaps were in health and social assistance as well as retail trade. The largest gaps were in public administration (84.7% of the national average) and real estate, rentals and leasing (85.1% of the national average).
Year-over-year (April 2023 vs April 2022)
Compared with the same month in 2022, Nova Scotia's payroll employment grew by 0.7% (+2,924) in April 2023. This was slower than the national average gain of 1.8%. Nine provinces reported growth in payroll employment, with the fastest gain in Alberta and the only decline in Newfoundland and Labrador.
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.
Forestry and logging as well as professional and technical services industries and construction had the fastest year-over-year growth in payroll employment in Nova Scotia. Public administration reported the largest percentage decline in payroll employment.
Average weekly wages grew by 3.3% in Nova Scotia from April 2022 to April 2023. This was faster than the national pace of 2.9%.
Average weekly wages grew by 2.9% across Canada from April 2022 to April 2023. There were gains in each province, with the fastest rise in Manitoba. Québec reported the slowest gain.
Average weekly wages were up 10.6% in Nova Scotia's goods-producing industries and 1.1% 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 company management as well as construction and manufacturing industries. Average weekly wages were down for professional and technical services, wholesale trade, information and culture, arts, entertainment and recreation, real estate, rentals and leasing, and retail trade.
Year-to-date (January-April 2023 vs January-April 2022)
In January-April 2023, Nova Scotia's payroll employment increased 1.7% over January-April 2022. Across Canada, payroll employment growth was 2.0% with gains in all provinces. Alberta reported the fastest rise in payroll employment while Manitoba reported the slowest growth rate.
In January-April 2023, forestry and logging, construction as well as professional and technical services 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-April 2023, Nova Scotia's average weekly earnings increased by 2.4% compared to the same period in 2022. National average weekly earnings were up 1.7% in the first four 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-April 2023, manufacturing, company management, and construction reported the fastest percentage gains in average weekly earnings compared to the same period in 2022. Public administration reported the largest percentage decline.
In January-April 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 88.0% of the national value for all industries in January-April 2023. All Nova Scotia industries reported average weekly earnings below their national counterparts. The gaps were narrowest in arts, entertainment and recreation as well as retail trade. 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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