Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, April 2024
Released: 2024-06-27
$1,240.18
April 2024
3.7% 
(12-month change)
$1,232.85
April 2024
4.6%
(12-month change)
$1,063.58
April 2024
6.1%
(12-month change)
$1,106.36
April 2024
4.2%
(12-month change)
$1,118.20
April 2024
2.2%
(12-month change)
$1,181.70
April 2024
3.8%
(12-month change)
$1,271.04
April 2024
3.4%
(12-month change)
$1,138.33
April 2024
3.8%
(12-month change)
$1,199.90
April 2024
3.1%
(12-month change)
$1,317.98
April 2024
2.4%
(12-month change)
$1,258.20
April 2024
4.6%
(12-month change)
$1,441.64
April 2024
5.4%
(12-month change)
$1,664.97
April 2024
3.6%
(12-month change)
$1,668.92
April 2024
0.6%
(12-month change)
The number of employees receiving pay and benefits from their employer—measured as "payroll employment" in the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours—decreased by 22,700 (-0.1%) in April. This decline followed three consecutive monthly increases from January to March, with a cumulative gain of 92,500 (+0.5%) over this period.
Meanwhile, job vacancies fell by 32,000 (-5.3%) to 575,400 in April, marking the third consecutive monthly decline.
Chart 1
Payroll employment declines in April, following three consecutive monthly increases
In April, monthly payroll employment declines were recorded in 8 out of 20 sectors, led by manufacturing (-6,000; -0.4%), administrative and support, waste management and remediation services (-5,200; -0.6%), accommodation and food services (-4,800; -0.4%) and retail trade (-4,200; -0.2%). These decreases were partially offset by gains in health care and social assistance (+5,700; +0.2%) and management of companies and enterprises (+2,100; +1.8%). The remaining 10 sectors were little changed.
Chart 2
Payroll employment decreases in eight sectors in April
Payroll employment in manufacturing falls in April
Payroll employment in manufacturing dropped by 6,000 (-0.4%) in April, after little change in March and a decline of 1,700 (-0.1%) in February.
In April, declines were recorded in 10 out of 21 subsectors, led by fabricated metal product manufacturing (-1,300; -0.8%), machinery manufacturing (-900; -0.7%) and non-metallic mineral product manufacturing (-800; -1.5%). Gains recorded in petroleum and coal product manufacturing (+400; +2.9%) and electrical equipment, appliance and component manufacturing (+400; +1.0%) partially offset the overall loss in the sector.
Payroll employment in administrative and support, waste management and remediation services continues downward trend
Payroll employment in administrative and support, waste management and remediation services fell by 5,200 (-0.6%) in April, following little change in March and a decline of 1,700 (-0.2%) in February.
In April, payroll employment in the sector was down by 17,700 (-2.1%) from a recent peak reached in February 2023.
Payroll employment in retail trade decreases for the third consecutive month
Payroll employment in retail trade (-4,200; -0.2%) decreased in April 2024, following decreases in March (-2,300; -0.1%) and February (-8,400; -0.4%). Year over year, payroll employment in the sector was down by 19,600 (-1.0%) in April.
The monthly decline in the sector was led by sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book and miscellaneous retailers (-1,300; -0.6%), followed by furniture, home furnishings, electronics and appliances retailers (-600; -0.6%) and building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers (-600; -0.4%). Combined, these three subsectors accounted for close to 60% of the decline in retail trade in April.
Payroll employment decreases in accommodation and food services
In April, payroll employment in accommodation and food services declined by 4,800 (-0.4%), more than offsetting the gain in March (+3,100; +0.2%) and following a decrease in February (-4,900; -0.4%). In April, payroll employment in the sector was down by 18,200 (-1.4%) from the peak recorded in June 2023.
The decline in the sector in April 2024 was concentrated in full-service restaurants and limited-service eating places (-2,500; -0.2%) and traveller accommodation (-2,500; -1.4%).
Payroll employment continues to trend upwards in health care and social assistance in April
Payroll employment in health care and social assistance increased by 5,700 (+0.2%) in April, continuing the upward trend since September 2022, with a cumulative gain of 149,600 (+6.7%) over this period.
The monthly gain in April 2024 was led by general medical and surgical hospitals (+1,900; +0.3%) and individual and family services (+1,800; +0.9%).
Average weekly earnings increase on a year-over-year basis
On a year-over-year basis, average weekly earnings were up 3.7% (to $1,240) in April, following a 4.1% increase in March. In general, growth in average weekly earnings can reflect a range of factors, including changes in wages, composition of employment, hours worked, and base-year effects. Month over month, average weekly earnings were little changed for a third consecutive month in April.
Average weekly hours stood at 33.5 hours in April, unchanged from the previous month but up 0.9% on a year-over-year basis.
Earnings and wage trends from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours and the Labour Force Survey
The Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH) and the Labour Force Survey (LFS) are two major monthly labour statistics surveys conducted by Statistics Canada and they both provide monthly indicators of pay received by employees.
Average weekly earnings (from SEPH) and average hourly wages (from the LFS) are two commonly used labour market indicators that provide information on current wage dynamics. Used together, these indicators can provide a comprehensive portrait of pay dynamics in Canada.
Today, Statistics Canada released the report "Earnings and Wages – A guide to using indicators from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours and the Labour Force Survey." The report provides definitions for each indicator and highlights their key conceptual and measurement differences. It also provides guidance to data users on when to use each indicator.
Job vacancies continue to decline in April
Job vacancies fell by 32,000 (-5.3%) to 575,400 in April, marking the third consecutive monthly decline. This was the lowest number of job vacancies since January 2021 (561,300). Compared with April 2023, job vacancies were down by 223,400 (-28.0%) in April 2024.
Total labour demand—which corresponds to the sum of filled and unfilled positions—was little changed month over month and on a year-over-year basis in April.
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—decreased 0.2 percentage points to 3.2% in April compared with March, and was 1.3 percentage points lower than in April 2023 (4.5%).
Infographic 1
Job vacancy rate at lowest level since March 2020
There were 2.3 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in April 2024, up from 2.2 in March. This increase in the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio in April was largely due to fewer job vacancies (-32,000; -5.3%), as the number of unemployed persons (from the Labour Force Survey) was little changed in April.
Job vacancies fall in seven sectors
Job vacancies decreased in seven sectors in April: manufacturing (-5,500; -13.3%), retail trade (-5,200; -8.6%), transportation and warehousing (-5,100; -13.6%), wholesale trade (-3,700; -15.4%), educational services (-3,600; -15.2%), finance and insurance (-3,400; -16.8%), and real estate and rental and leasing (-1,500; -19.5%).
Retail trade records the lowest number of job vacancies since November 2019
The number of vacant positions in retail trade decreased by 5,200 (-8.6%) to 55,100 in April 2024. This marked the second consecutive monthly decrease, and resulted in the lowest number of job vacancies since November 2019 (54,800). Compared with April 2023, job vacancies in this sector were down by 29,900 (-35.2%) in April 2024.
The job vacancy rate in retail trade held steady at 2.7% in April but was down 1.3 percentage points from April 2023 (4.0%).
Downward trend in job vacancies continues in wholesale trade
Job vacancies in wholesale trade decreased by 3,700 (-15.4%) from the previous month to 20,400 in April 2024. Compared with the same month in 2023, job vacancies were down by 7,900 (-28.0%) in April 2024. Wholesale trade has seen a downward trend in its number of vacant positions since June 2022, with a cumulative decline of 36,900 (-44.8%) over this period.
The job vacancy rate in the sector was 2.4% in April 2024, down from 2.8% in March and from 3.3% in April 2023.
Job vacancies hold steady in health care and social assistance
In April 2024, job vacancies held steady in health care and social assistance, following a decrease of 7,000 (-5.5%) in March. Vacancies in health care and social assistance accounted for 21.0% of all vacancies in April, compared with 19.8% in March 2024 and 19.0% in April 2023.
Total labour demand in health care and social assistance rose by 0.5% in April 2024, continuing a pattern of strong growth in this sector. On a year-over-year basis, total labour demand in health care and social assistance was up by 2.9%.
The job vacancy rate in health care and social assistance was unchanged from the previous month, at 4.9% in April, but was down by 1.4 percentage points from April 2023 (6.3%). This was the second-highest job vacancy rate of any sector in April 2024, following accommodation and food services (5.1%).
Fewer job vacancies in manufacturing
Job vacancies in manufacturing fell by 5,500 (-13.3%) to 36,100 in April, following little change in March. On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies in the sector were down by 20,500 (-36.2%).
The job vacancy rate in the sector was 2.3% in April, down from 2.6% in March 2024 and from 3.5% in April 2023.
Job vacancies fall in four provinces
In April, decreases in job vacancies were recorded in Ontario (-13,900; -6.5%), Alberta (-11,500; -14.7%), Manitoba (-3,500; -15.6%) and Prince Edward Island (-1,000, -37.2%). There was little change in the remaining six provinces.
On a year-over-year basis, the job vacancy rate was down in all provinces in April, most notably in Prince Edward Island (-2.3 percentage points to 2.4%), Quebec (-1.7 percentage points to 3.3%) and Alberta (-1.4 percentage points to 3.1%).
British Columbia (4.0%) had the highest job vacancy rate in April, followed by Saskatchewan (3.6%). British Columbia also had the lowest unemployment rate (5.0%) of any province in April as well as the lowest unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio, at 1.5. Meanwhile, Prince Edward Island (2.4%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (2.3%) recorded the lowest job vacancy rates in April.
Map 1
Job vacancy rate by province, April 2024
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Sustainable Development Goals
On January 1, 2016, the world officially began implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development —the United Nations' transformative plan of action that addresses urgent global challenges over the next 15 years. The plan is based on 17 specific sustainable development goals.
The Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours is an example of how Statistics Canada supports the reporting on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. This release will be used in helping to measure the following goals:
Note to readers
Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours
The key objective of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH) is to provide a monthly portrait of the level of earnings, employment and hours worked, by detailed industry, at the national, provincial and territorial levels.
Payroll employment, as measured by the SEPH, refers to the number of employees receiving pay and benefits (employment income) during a given month. The survey excludes the self-employed, owners and partners of unincorporated businesses and professional practices, and employees in the agricultural sector.
SEPH estimates are produced by integrating information from three sources: a census of approximately 1 million payroll deduction records provided by the Canada Revenue Agency; the Business Payrolls Survey, which collects data from a sample of 15,000 establishments; and administrative records of federal, provincial and territorial public administration employment, provided by these levels of government.
Estimates of average weekly earnings and hours worked are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling variability. This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level. Payroll employment estimates are based on a census of administrative data and are not subject to sampling variability.
With each release of SEPH data, data for the preceding month are revised. Users are encouraged to use the most up-to-date data available for each month.
Statistics Canada also produces employment estimates from its Labour Force Survey (LFS). The LFS is a monthly household survey, the main objective of which is to divide the working-age population into three mutually exclusive groups: the employed (including the self-employed), the unemployed and those not in the labour force. This survey is the official source for the unemployment rate, and it collects data on the sociodemographic characteristics of all those in the labour market.
As a result of conceptual and methodological differences, estimates of changes in the SEPH and the LFS differ occasionally. However, the trends in the data are similar. For a more in-depth discussion of the conceptual differences between employment measures from the LFS and the SEPH, refer to Section 8 of the Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (72-203-G).
For information on conceptual differences between the earnings measure from the SEPH and the wage measure from the LFS, refer to the report: Earnings and Wages – A guide to using indicators from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours and the Labour Force Survey.
Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data, which facilitate comparisons because the effects of seasonal variations are removed. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
Non-farm payroll employment data are for all hourly and salaried employees and for the "other employees" category, which includes piece-rate and commission-only employees.
Unless otherwise specified, average weekly hours data are for hourly and salaried employees only and exclude businesses that could not be classified to a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2022 version 1.0 code.
All earnings data include overtime and exclude businesses that could not be classified to a NAICS code. Earnings data are based on gross taxable payroll before source deductions. Average weekly earnings are derived by dividing total weekly earnings by the number of employees. Changes in average weekly earnings can reflect a range of factors, including changes in wages, composition of employment, hours worked and base-year effects.
Base-year effect refers to the impact that trends from 12 months earlier (base month) have on the current month's estimate of year-over-year change. In the case of SEPH, when the average weekly earnings in the base month is at the peak of a short-term trend, this tends to have a downward effect on year-over-year average weekly earnings growth in the current month. In contrast, if the value of the base month is at a low point of a trend, this tends to have an upward effect on the current month's year-over-year growth in average weekly earnings.
Job Vacancy and Wage Survey
Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (JVWS) collection is done on a quarterly basis. The quarterly sample of business locations is allocated to the three collection months of the quarter, approximately balanced by province and by industrial sector across each of the three months. This allows both quarterly and monthly estimates to be produced.
Preliminary monthly estimates are produced for job vacancies, job vacancy rates and payroll employment using available responses from business locations sampled in the corresponding reference month. The reference period for the JVWS is the first day of the respective month.
These preliminary monthly estimates are revised and finalized when the corresponding quarterly estimates are released or shortly thereafter. Users are encouraged to use the most up-to-date data available for each month.
Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data, which facilitate comparisons because the effects of seasonal variations are removed. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
While JVWS employment is calibrated to the SEPH, SEPH payroll employment and JVWS preliminary monthly employment figures may differ because of calibration grouping and differences in scope and reference period.
The JVWS also provides comprehensive quarterly data on job vacancies by industrial sector and detailed occupation for Canada and the provinces, territories and economic regions; offered hourly wages; and job vacancy characteristics. More information about the concepts and use of data from the JVWS is available in the Guide to the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (75-514-G).
Real-time data tables
Tables 14-10-0357-01 and 14-10-0358-01 have now been archived.
Real-time data tables 14-10-0331-01 and 14-10-0332-01 will be updated on July 15.
Next release
Products
More information about the concepts and use of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours is available in the Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (72-203-G).
The product "Earnings and payroll employment in brief: Interactive app" (14200001) is now available. This interactive data visualization application provides a comprehensive picture of the Canadian labour market using the most recent data from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. The estimates are seasonally adjusted and available by province and largest industrial sector. Historical estimates that go back 10 years are also included. The interactive application allows users to explore and personalize the information presented quickly and easily. Combine multiple provinces and industrial sectors to create your own labour market domains of interest.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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