Canadian wages rise modestly, with Nunavut leading and PEI lagging

Data from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours reveal that Canadian workers earned an average of $1,337.77 per one outlet in May, a 3.4% rise from the same month in 2025 and only slightly below April’s $1,343.52. Nunavut led the provinces and territories with weekly earnings of $1,862.20, while Prince Edward Island fell to $1,189.61, nearly $700 less than the northern territory. Average weekly hours stayed flat at 33.4.

StatCan notes that wage growth reflects multiple factors, including employment composition and hours. A recent TD survey shows 35% of Canadians intend to reduce summer expenditures, mainly on groceries, fuel and housing, even as inflation eased to 2.8% in June. Job vacancy numbers held steady at roughly 496,000, with construction and finance sectors seeing notable increases.