The average hourly wage for British Columbians was slightly below the national average and $4 less per hour than their Alberta counterparts, according to Statistics Canada data released October 31.
Hourly employees in British Columbia made $22.72 per hour in August – $0.22 less than the national average of $22.94 and $3.93 per hour less Alberta's average wage of $26.65.
The average weekly earnings for all B.C. employees in August was $877 – nearly 5% lower than the Canadian average of $918.
The province with the highest weekly earnings was Alberta, with $1,118. Employees in Prince Edward Island made the lowest per week, at $761.
Year-over-year, B.C.'s average weekly earnings increased $4.16 from $873.
Nationally, weekly earnings grew 1.3% over the past year, driven by several factors which included wage growth and average number of hours worked per week, which dropped from 33.1 in August 2012 to 32.9 in August 2013.
The provinces with the biggest increases in weekly earnings year-over-year were:
- Ontario (up 18% to $931);
- Saskatchewan (up 16% to $955); and
- Alberta (up 15% to $1,118).
The sectors with the highest weekly earnings were:
- mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction ($1,893);
- utilities ($1,662); and
- professional, scientific and technical services ($1,289).
