Non-farm employees saw increase of 0.1 per cent from June
Average weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees increased 0.1 per cent in July from the previous month to $872.70.
On a year-over-year basis, average weekly earnings grew by 2.2 per cent. This was the slowest earnings growth since January 2010.
The year-over-year growth in average weekly earnings reflects a number of factors, such as wage growth and changes in the composition of employment by industry, by occupation and by level of job experience.
The decrease in the average hours worked per week contributed to the slower growth in earnings in July. The average workweek declined from 33 hours in July 2010 to 32.8 hours in July 2011, down 0.6 per cent, with fewer hours worked across the goods and services sectors.
Compared with June 2011, average weekly hours were down 0.3 per cent in July.
Average weekly earnings up in every province
Average weekly earnings rose in every province between July 2010 and July 2011. The increases were highest in Newfoundland and Labrador and the slowest growth was in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Ontario.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, average weekly earnings in July amounted to $879.70, up 6.2 per cent from July 2010. Newfoundland and Labrador has recorded year-over-year growth in earnings above the national average every month since December 2010.
Average weekly earnings by industry
Year-over-year growth in average weekly earnings exceeded the national average of 2.2 per cent in four of Canada's largest industrial sectors: retail trade, professional, scientific and technical services, public administration and construction.
Earnings declined in the same time period in manufacturing and accommodation and food services.
The fastest rate of growth in average weekly earnings occurred in retail trade in July. Earnings in this sector rose by 4.4 per cent to $524.51, with increases spread across several industries.
The second fastest rate of increase was in professional, scientific and technical services, where average weekly earnings rose by 3.3 per cent to $1,217.30 in the 12 months leading up to July 2011.
Non-farm payroll employment by sector
In July, non-farm payroll employment rose by 36,300. In the 12 months to July, the number of payroll employees has increased by 231,600 or 1.6 per cent.
The monthly increase was spread across a number of sectors, including educational services, construction, administrative and support service, health care and social assistance, accommodation and food services and professional, scientific and technical services.
At the same time, there were declines in public administration as well as retail trade.
On a year-over-year basis, the fastest job growth was in mining, quarrying, oil and gas extraction, where payroll employment increased by 16,000 or 8.5 per cent. But most of this growth occurred over the first eight months of the period, with employment in the sector edging down since April 2011.
Since July 2010, there was also above-average growth in the number of employees in construction (3.8 per cent), professional, scientific and technical services (2.5 per cent), health care and social assistance (2.2 per cent) and public administration (1.7 per cent).
