Canada Weekly Earnings Growth Accelerates in March

Average weekly earnings of Canadian non-farm payroll employees rose 3.5% year-on-year to C$1,333 in March 2026, accelerating from a 2.8% increase in February. The strongest gains were recorded in utilities (9%), information and cultural industries (7%), and transportation and warehousing (6.2%). In contrast, earnings declined in forestry, logging and support activities (-2.4%), management of companies and enterprises (-0.8%), and real estate and rental and leasing (-9.2%). By province, the largest increases were seen in Nunavut (7.8%), Prince Edward Island (7.7%), and New Brunswick (6.7%). Meanwhile, average weekly hours worked stood at 33.4 hours, little changed from the previous month and down 0.3% from a year earlier.

Average weekly earnings of Canadian non-farm payroll employees rose 2% year-over-year to C$1,320.46 in January 2026, up from 1.9% in December. The biggest gains were in management of companies and enterprises (6.5%), transportation and warehousing (5.8%), professional, scientific and technical services (5.0%), mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (4.4%), and public administration (4.2%). Earnings declined in finance and insurance (-11.4%) and wholesale trade (-1.6%). By province, earnings rose most in Nunavut (9.0%), Prince Edward Island (5.1%), Nova Scotia (4.4%), and New Brunswick (4.4%). Average weekly hours worked held steady at 33.1 hours on both month-over-month and year-over-year bases. Month-over-month, average weekly earnings were little changed in January.

Average weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees in Canada rose by 1.9% year-on-year to C$1,316 in December 2025, following a downwardly revised 2.3% advance in the prior month. The biggest gains were recorded in real estate and rental and leasing (7.7% to C$1,402); transportation and warehousing (6.2% to C$1,395); utilities (5% to C$2,037) and forestry, logging and support (4.7% to C$1,512). By contrast, the largest declines were seen in finance and insurance (-5.7% to C$1,806) and wholesale trade (-3.8% to C$1,490). By province, Prince Edward Island (8.4%) and Manitoba (4.5%) posted the largest increases, while Northwest Territories recorded a 4% decline. On a monthly basis, average weekly earnings were little unchanged in December.