Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, August 2024
Released: 2024-10-31
$1,270.46
August 2024
4.6% 
(12-month change)
$1,253.49
August 2024
4.0%
(12-month change)
$1,083.27
August 2024
3.9%
(12-month change)
$1,133.24
August 2024
5.5%
(12-month change)
$1,158.30
August 2024
3.6%
(12-month change)
$1,221.15
August 2024
4.7%
(12-month change)
$1,297.62
August 2024
4.5%
(12-month change)
$1,157.19
August 2024
4.4%
(12-month change)
$1,233.09
August 2024
5.6%
(12-month change)
$1,351.02
August 2024
4.8%
(12-month change)
$1,281.73
August 2024
4.7%
(12-month change)
$1,443.03
August 2024
3.5%
(12-month change)
$1,709.03
August 2024
6.0%
(12-month change)
$1,757.47
August 2024
8.2%
(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—was little changed in August (+13,500), following an increase of 39,500 (+0.2%) in July and a decline of 22,900 (-0.1%) in June. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was up 176,700 (+1.0%) in August.
Meanwhile, job vacancies were little changed, at 518,300 in August, after three consecutive months of declines. Compared with August 2023, job vacancies were down by 176,300 (-25.4%) in August 2024.
Chart 1
Payroll employment was little changed in August, following an increase in July
In August, monthly payroll employment increases were recorded in health care and social assistance (+12,000; +0.5%), public administration (+5,400; +0.4%) and wholesale trade (+3,600; +0.4%).
These gains in August were offset by declines in six sectors, including arts, entertainment and recreation (-2,400; -0.8%); administrative and support, waste management and remediation services (-2,400; -0.3%); and construction (-1,700; -0.1%). The remaining 11 sectors were little changed.
Chart 2
Payroll employment increases in three sectors and decreases in six
Payroll employment in health care and social assistance increases in August
Payroll employment in health care and social assistance increased by 12,000 (+0.5%) in August, following a gain of 15,000 (+0.6%) in July. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in the sector was up 94,300 (+4.1%) in August.
The largest monthly gains in August were recorded in general medical and surgical hospitals (+4,400; +0.7%) and nursing care facilities (+2,200; +0.9%). Together, these two industry groups accounted for more than half of the monthly increase in August.
Payroll employment in public administration rises for the third consecutive month in August
Payroll employment in public administration increased by 5,400 (+0.4%) in August, following two consecutive monthly increases in July (+8,800; +0.7%) and June (+2,600; +0.2%).
Year over year, payroll employment in public administration was up by 36,100 (+2.8%) in August, led by gains in local, municipal and regional public administration (+17,500; +3.5%). Increases in Ontario (+7,400; +3.6%), Alberta (+3,600; +6.2%), Quebec (+3,000; +2.6%) and British Columbia (+3,000; +4.9%) accounted for nearly all (97%) of the year-over-year increase in payroll employment in local, municipal and regional public administration (not seasonally adjusted).
Wholesale trade records an increase in payroll employment in August
Payroll employment in wholesale trade rose by 3,600 (+0.4%) in August, following an increase in July (+1,700; +0.2%) and a decline in June (-1,500; -0.2%).
In August, about half of the payroll employment increase in wholesale trade was attributable to gains in machinery, equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers (+1,700; +0.7%).
Year over year, payroll employment in wholesale trade (+1,300; +0.2%) was up slightly in August.
Downward trend in payroll employment in administrative and support, waste management and remediation services continues in August
Payroll employment in administrative and support, waste management and remediation services fell by 2,400 (-0.3%) in August, marking the fifth consecutive monthly decline. From March to August, payroll employment in the sector fell by 15,800 (-1.9%).
The cumulative decline in the sector from March to August was largely concentrated in employment services (-10,400; -5.2%). Employment services includes establishments primarily engaged in placing applicants in employment and in helping employers find workers to address temporary workforce needs.
Second monthly decrease in payroll employment in construction since May
Payroll employment in construction fell by 1,700 (-0.1%) in August after little change in July and a decrease in June (-3,600; -0.3%). From May to August, payroll employment in the sector recorded a net decrease of 4,400 (-0.4%).
The overall payroll employment decline in construction from May to August was concentrated in heavy and civil engineering (-3,800; -2.1%) and specialty trade contractors (-500; -0.1%). Over the same period, a slight decrease in residential building construction (-200; -0.1%) was offset by a slight increase in non-residential building construction (+200; +0.1%).
Despite the net decline observed since May, payroll employment in construction was up by 4,900 (+0.4%) on a year-over-year basis in August.
Average weekly earnings increase on a year-over-year basis in August
Year over year, average weekly earnings were up 4.6% to $1,270 in August, following a 4.3% increase in July. 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.
On a month-over-month basis, average weekly earnings were little changed in August, following a 0.9% growth in July.
In August, average weekly hours worked (33.5 hours) were little changed on a month-over-month and year-over-year basis.
Job vacancies little changed in August
Job vacancies in Canada were little changed, at 518,300 in August, after three consecutive months of declines. Compared with August 2023, job vacancies were down by 176,300 (-25.4%) in August 2024.
Total labour demand—which corresponds to the sum of filled and unfilled positions—held steady in August but was down by 27,600 (-0.2%) compared with one year earlier.
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—was 2.9% in August, down by 0.1 percentage points from the previous month (3.0%) and down by 1.0 percentage points from August 2023 (3.9%).
There were 2.8 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in August 2024, up from 2.7 in July. This was the sixth consecutive monthly increase in the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio.
Infographic 1
Job vacancies little changed after three months of consecutive declines
Job vacancies decrease in three sectors and increase in four
Overall, job vacancies were little changed in August, as declines in three sectors were offset by increases in four sectors. Declines were recorded in health care and social assistance (-12,700 to 114,700), construction (-7,600 to 38,600) and information and cultural industries (-1,500 to 5,800). These declines were offset by increases in finance and insurance (+7,700 to 23,900), administrative and support, waste management and remediation services (+4,300 to 30,400), other services (except public administration) (+3,600 to 25,300) and wholesale trade (+2,300 to 21,100).
Year over year, 15 of 20 sectors recorded a decline in their number of vacancies in August, with the largest decreases being recorded in accommodation and food services (-37,500 to 48,400), construction (-24,700 to 38,600) and retail trade (-22,900 to 47,600). The other five sectors were little changed.
Job vacancies decline in health care and social assistance
In August, the number of vacant positions in health care and social assistance fell by 12,700 (-10.0%) to 114,700, after holding steady in July. Year over year, job vacancies in the sector were down by 18,000 (-13.6%) in August.
The job vacancy rate in health care and social assistance was 4.6% in August, down 0.5 percentage points from July and down 0.9 percentage points from one year earlier (5.5%). Despite the month-over-month decline, the job vacancy rate in health care and social assistance remained the highest among all 20 sectors in August for the fifth consecutive month since April.
Job vacancies down in construction after four months of little change
The number of job vacancies in construction fell by 7,600 (-16.5%) to 38,600 in August, after holding steady from March to July.
The job vacancy rate in construction was 3.2% in August, down 0.6 percentage points from July. While the job vacancy rate in the sector in August remained above the Canadian average of 2.9%, it was the lowest rate since November 2019 (3.1%) (excluding the period from April 2020 to September 2020, when data were not available).
Job vacancies rise in wholesale trade
Vacant positions in wholesale trade increased by 2,300 (+12.2%) to 21,100 in August 2024, offsetting the decrease in the previous month (-2,500; -11.6%).
On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies in wholesale trade were down by 6,300 (-23.1%) in August. Over the same period, the job vacancy rate in the sector decreased by 0.7 percentage points, from 3.2% to 2.5%.
Job vacancies down in Ontario and New Brunswick and up in Newfoundland and Labrador
In August, the number of vacant positions decreased in Ontario (-10,500 to 172,700) and New Brunswick (-2,600 to 7,500), while it increased in Newfoundland and Labrador (+1,400 to 5,400). Job vacancies were little changed in the remaining provinces.
On a year-over-year basis, the job vacancy rate was down in seven provinces in August, with the largest declines being recorded in Quebec (-1.2 percentage points to 3.0%) and Saskatchewan (-1.2 percentage points to 3.4%), followed by Ontario (-1.1 percentage points to 2.5%).
In August, the job vacancy rate was little changed year over year in Manitoba (3.2%), Prince Edward Island (2.7%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (2.5%).
In August, British Columbia had the highest job vacancy rate at 3.6%, while New Brunswick had the lowest job vacancy rate at 2.3%.
Infographic 2
Year-over-year job vacancy rate down in seven provinces
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 people 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 and methodologies, variations in employment levels in the 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 the LFS both also provide monthly indicators of pay received by employees. Used together, average weekly earnings (from the 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 the 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. This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level.
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 available LFS data (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; for offered hourly wages; and for 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 November 18.
Next release
September data for the SEPH and the JVWS will be released on November 28.
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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