The Leader-Post, Canadian Press, February 28, 2014 - Average weekly earnings of non-farm employees in Saskatchewan rose by 3.6 per cent to $966 in December, compared with December 2012, Statistics Canada said Thursday.
Increases were spread across the largest sectors, including construction, manufacturing, as well as retail and wholesale trade, the federal agency said.
Saskatchewan's average weekly wage of $966 was third-highest in the country, behind Alberta at $1,146 and Newfoundland and Labrador at $969.
Between November and December, average weekly earnings were up by $9, or 0.9 per cent, in Saskatchewan, exactly in line with the national average, United Steelworkers economist Erin Weir noted in a commentary.
But the year-over-year increase of $34 per week in Saskatchewan was higher than the national average increase of $26 per week, the report said.
Nationally, average weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees were $933 in December, up 0.9 per cent from the previous month. The agency says weekly earnings were up 2.9 per cent on a year-over-year basis.
Growth in average weekly earnings on an annual basis outpaced the national average in four of the 10 largest industrial sectors, led by wholesale trade and construction.
Average weekly earnings in wholesale trade increased 7.4 per cent to $1,139 and earnings in construction increased 6.3 per cent to $1,239.
However, earnings in educational services declined 3.8 per cent to $951.
Year-over-year earnings of non-farm payroll employees increased in all provinces, with above-average growth in Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island.