Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, June 2024
Released: 2024-08-29
$1,252.85
June 2024
4.0% 
(12-month change)
$1,231.14
June 2024
2.1%
(12-month change)
$1,062.94
June 2024
6.1%
(12-month change)
$1,116.11
June 2024
4.2%
(12-month change)
$1,129.01
June 2024
3.2%
(12-month change)
$1,193.68
June 2024
3.0%
(12-month change)
$1,284.48
June 2024
4.3%
(12-month change)
$1,141.13
June 2024
4.4%
(12-month change)
$1,219.33
June 2024
4.7%
(12-month change)
$1,330.37
June 2024
3.9%
(12-month change)
$1,273.82
June 2024
5.5%
(12-month change)
$1,448.43
June 2024
6.1%
(12-month change)
$1,731.97
June 2024
8.1%
(12-month change)
$1,649.89
June 2024
0.8%
(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 47,300 (-0.3%) in June. The decline in June followed five consecutive monthly increases from January to May, with a cumulative gain of 147,600 (+0.8%) over this period. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was up 110,400 (+0.6%) in June.
Meanwhile, job vacancies in June were little changed at 554,000. On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down by 190,500 (-25.6%) in June.
Chart 1
Payroll employment decreases in June, following five consecutive monthly increases
In June, monthly payroll employment decreases were recorded in 11 out of 20 sectors, led by retail trade (-15,100; -0.8%), manufacturing (-10,600; -0.7%), construction (-7,700; -0.7%) and administrative and support, waste management and remediation services (-6,600; -0.8%). Mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction (+2,500; +1.2%) was the lone sector to record a monthly increase in June. The remaining eight sectors were little changed.
Chart 2
Payroll employment declines in 11 sectors in June
Payroll employment in retail trade continues overall downward trend since February 2023 peak
Payroll employment in retail trade decreased by 15,100 (-0.8%) in June, contributing to an overall downward trend since February 2023. From February 2023 to June 2024, the net payroll employment loss in retail trade was 39,300 (-1.9%).
In June, seven of the nine subsectors in retail trade recorded decreases in payroll employment. The declines were led by sporting goods, hobby, musical instruments, book, and miscellaneous retailers (-3,500; -1.7%), clothing, clothing accessories, shoes, jewelry, luggage and leather goods retailers (-3,400; -1.6%) and general merchandise retailers (-2,200; -0.8%). The remaining two subsectors were essentially unchanged.
Payroll employment in manufacturing declines in June
Payroll employment in manufacturing decreased by 10,600 (-0.7%) in June, following an increase of 2,600 (+0.2%) in May. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in the sector was down by 18,000 (-1.1%) in June.
Monthly declines in manufacturing were recorded in 9 out of 21 subsectors, led by wood product manufacturing (-1,200; -1.3%), non-metallic mineral product manufacturing (-1,100; -2.1%) and furniture and related product manufacturing (-900; -1.4%). These losses were partially offset by gains in computer and electronic product manufacturing (+700; +1.2%) and electrical equipment, appliance and component manufacturing (+400; +0.9%).
Monthly payroll employment down in construction but still up since the beginning of the year
Payroll employment in construction decreased by 7,700 (-0.7%) in June, following little change in May and an increase in April (+2,300; +0.2%). The monthly decline in June followed an upward trend that began in January 2024, resulting in an overall gain of 5,900 (+0.5%) from January to June.
In June, the monthly decline was spread across 8 of the 10 industries in the sector, led by other specialty trade contractors (-2,600; -1.9%), utility system construction (-1,400; -1.9%) and residential building construction (-1,100; -0.6%), which was also down by 2,300 (-1.3%) from its peak recorded in December 2023.
Building equipment contractors (+500; +0.1%) was the sole industry in this sector to record a monthly increase in June 2024.
Payroll employment in administrative and support, waste management and remediation services continues downward trend in June
Payroll employment in administrative and support, waste management and remediation services fell by 6,600 (-0.8%) in June, following declines in May (-2,800; -0.3%) and April (-3,000; -0.4%).
In June, the largest monthly declines in the sector were in employment services (-3,600; -1.8%), investigation and security services (-1,400; -1.0%), and services to buildings and dwellings (-1,300; -0.6%). Travel arrangement and reservation services (+500; +1.4%) was the lone industry group in this sector to record a gain in June.
Average weekly earnings increase year over year in June
Month over month, average weekly earnings ($1,253) were little changed in June, following a 0.7% increase in May.
On a year-over-year basis, average weekly earnings grew by 4.0% in June, following a 4.1% increase in May. 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.
In June, average weekly hours worked were unchanged compared with the previous month but were up 0.6% to 33.5 hours year over year.
Job vacancies hold steady in June
In June, job vacancies were little changed at 554,000. On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down by 190,500 (-25.6%) in June.
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—held steady in June at 3.1%, and was 1.1 percentage points lower than in June 2023 (4.2%).
There were 2.6 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in June 2024, up from 2.5 in the previous month, largely due to an increase in the number of unemployed persons. This was the fifth consecutive monthly increase in the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio. This ratio has seen an upward trend since its lowest level of 1.0 in July 2022, indicating cooling in the labour market over the period.
Infographic 1
Unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio continues upward trend as job vacancies hold steady in June
Job vacancies increase in five sectors, led by the administrative and support, waste management and remediation services sector
While overall job vacancies were little changed in June, five sectors showed increases: administrative and support, waste management and remediation services (+4,200; +16.0%), transportation and warehousing (+3,800; +12.4%), educational services (+3,200; +16.3%), information and cultural industries (+2,600; +54.6%), and arts, entertainment and recreation (+1,100; +16.3%). Meanwhile, job vacancies decreased in accommodation and food services (-7,300; -10.8%), finance and insurance (-4,900; -20.9%), and other services (except public administration) (-4,900; -18.6%), partially offsetting the increases in the five sectors. Job vacancies were little changed in 11 sectors.
On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies decreased in 16 sectors, with the largest declines in accommodation and food services (-33,100; -35.6%), retail trade (-29,400; -35.5%) and health care and social assistance (-24,500; -17.0%). Meanwhile, job vacancies were little changed in three sectors: agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting; educational services; and public administration.
Chart 3
Declines in the number of job vacancies in 16 sectors since June 2023
Accommodation and food services records the lowest number of job vacancies since February 2021
Job vacancies in accommodation and food services decreased by 7,300 (-10.8%) to 59,900 in June. This is the lowest number of job vacancies since February 2021 (59,100), prior to the widespread availability of the COVID-19 vaccine. Compared with June 2023, job vacancies in the sector were down by 33,100 (-35.6%) in June 2024.
Total labour demand in accommodation and food services decreased by 8,000 (-0.6%) in June. On a year-over-year basis, total labour demand was down by 36,500 (-2.6%).
The job vacancy rate in accommodation and food services decreased by 0.5 percentage points to 4.4% in June, bringing the cumulative year-over-year decline to 2.2 percentage points. Accommodation and food services is no longer the sector with the highest job vacancy rate, as health care and social assistance (4.8%) surpassed it in June.
Job vacancies rise in transportation and warehousing
In June, job vacancies in transportation and warehousing increased by 3,800 (+12.4%) to 34,400, partially offsetting the decrease from March to April (-5,200). On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies within the sector decreased by 4,800 (-12.2%).
The job vacancy rate in transportation and warehousing stood at 3.9% in June, marking an increase of 0.4 percentage points from May, but 0.6 percentage points lower compared to June 2023.
Job vacancies hold steady in health care and social assistance
In June, job vacancies held steady in health care and social assistance (119,500). After a decline in March, this was the third consecutive month where vacancies were little changed. Job vacancies in the sector remain elevated compared to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, accounting for 21.6% of all vacancies in June.
The job vacancy rate in health care and social assistance was unchanged from the previous month, at 4.8% in June, but was down by 1.1 percentage points from June 2023 (5.9%). This was the highest job vacancy rate of all sectors in June 2024, surpassing the job vacancy rate of accommodation and food services (4.4%).
Job vacancies increase in three provinces
In June, increases in job vacancies were recorded in Manitoba (+4,300 to 24,800), New Brunswick (+1,800 to 10,400), and Prince Edward Island (+1,100 to 2,600). Meanwhile, job vacancies in Saskatchewan decreased by 2,600 to 17,700. There was little change in the remaining six provinces.
Manitoba had the highest job vacancy rate (3.9%) in June, followed by British Columbia (3.6%) and Prince Edward Island (3.5%). Manitoba also had the lowest unemployment rate (5.1%) of any province in June as well as the lowest unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio, at 1.6.
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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.
Employment trends from the SEPH and from the LFS generally track each other closely, especially over longer periods of time. That said, because of differences in concepts, definitions, methodologies, variations in employment levels in SEPH and in the LFS may differ, especially over shorter periods. 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).
The SEPH and LFS both also provide monthly indicators of pay received by employees. Used together, average weekly earnings (from SEPH) and average hourly wages (from the LFS) can provide a comprehensive portrait of pay dynamics in Canada. For information on definitions for each indicator, key conceptual and measurement differences, and guidance to data users on when to use each indicator, 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 unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio excludes the territories for consistency with the geographic coverage of the LFS (table 14-10-0287-01).
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 September 16.
Next release
July data for SEPH and JVWS will be released on September 26. The second quarter (April to June) of 2024 JVWS results, which will provide insights into job vacancies by subsector, vacancies by occupation and offered wages, will be released on September 17, 2024.
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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