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May 25, 2017EMPLOYMENT, EARNINGS AND HOURS, MARCH 2017 
Nova Scotians' average weekly earnings (including overtime, seasonally adjusted) increased $16.13 per week (1.9 per cent) from February 2017 to $862.04 in March 2017. The current level is down 0.8 per cent from its level in March of last year. Canadians' average weekly wages rose 0.2 per cent from February to $966.06 in March 2017, up 0.9 per cent from March of last year.
In general, changes in weekly earnings reflect a number of factors, including wage growth; changes in the composition of employment by industry, occupation and level of job experience; and average hours worked per week.
Across the country, monthly average wages were up for March in eight provinces; Newfoundland and Labrador, and Ontario showed monthly declines.
Through the first three months of 2017, average weekly wages have been growing fastest in the Newfoundland and Labrador (+2.5%), Manitoba (+2.3%), and British Columbia (+2.1%). In year to date terms, Nova Scotia's average weekly wages have averaged 0.1 per cent above the levels reported for the same period in 2016. Average weekly wages declined in Alberta compared with the average of the first three months of 2016.
In March 2017, average weekly earnings decreased 1.2 per cent (on a month to month basis) in Nova Scotia's goods sectors while service sector average wages increased 2.5 per cent.
On a year-to-date basis, average weekly earnings are 0.1 per cent higher in the first three months of 2017, with a 3.1 per cent increase in the goods sector and a 0.4 per cent decrease in the services-producing sector. Goods earrnings showed increases in Construction and Manufacturing, and in the services sector, largest increases were seen in Management and in Administrative and Support Services.
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Employment, Payroll, and Hours. CANSIM Table 281-0063, 281-0049