Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, October 2024
Released: 2024-12-19
$1,284.43
October 2024
5.3% 
(12-month change)
$1,241.04
October 2024
1.9%
(12-month change)
$1,099.52
October 2024
6.3%
(12-month change)
$1,142.14
October 2024
5.0%
(12-month change)
$1,160.37
October 2024
4.3%
(12-month change)
$1,236.23
October 2024
5.2%
(12-month change)
$1,316.90
October 2024
5.8%
(12-month change)
$1,151.52
October 2024
2.8%
(12-month change)
$1,236.08
October 2024
5.9%
(12-month change)
$1,352.45
October 2024
4.6%
(12-month change)
$1,288.82
October 2024
4.6%
(12-month change)
$1,469.62
October 2024
5.1%
(12-month change)
$1,736.56
October 2024
8.9%
(12-month change)
$1,774.38
October 2024
8.9%
(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—fell by 21,100 (-0.1%) in October, following little change in September and August. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was up 125,800 (+0.7%) in October.
Meanwhile, job vacancies decreased by 15,000 (-2.8%) to 513,200 in October, following little change in September and a decrease of 16,700 (-3.1%) in August.
Chart 1
Payroll employment declines in October
In October, monthly payroll employment declines were recorded in 7 out of 20 sectors, led by manufacturing (-5,900; -0.4%), professional, scientific and technical services (-3,700; -0.3%) and accommodation and food services (-3,500; -0.3%).
The declines in October were partially offset by gains in retail trade (+4,200; +0.2%), construction (+3,400; +0.3%), public administration (+3,300; +0.3%) and health care and social assistance (+3,300; +0.1%). The remaining nine sectors were little changed.
Chart 2
Payroll employment decreases in seven sectors and increases in four in October
Payroll employment in manufacturing trends down in October
In October, payroll employment in manufacturing decreased by 5,900 (-0.4%), continuing the general downward trend from its recent peak in June 2023. From June 2023 to October 2024, the overall decline in manufacturing was 18,200 (-1.2%).
Transportation equipment manufacturing (-8,000; -3.9%) was the largest contributor to the sector's overall decline from June 2023 to October 2024, followed by furniture and related product manufacturing (-3,500; -5.3%) and computer and electronic product manufacturing (-2,700; -4.8%).
Payroll employment in professional, scientific and technical services decreases for the third consecutive month
Payroll employment in professional, scientific and technical services (-3,700; -0.3%) decreased for the third consecutive month in October, bringing the cumulative decline since August 2024 to 7,400 (-0.6%).
The sector's cumulative decline since August was concentrated in computer systems design and related services (-5,700; -1.5%). In October 2024, payroll employment in this industry was down 15,700 (-4.0%) from its peak in June 2023, but was up 112,700 (+43.1%) compared with its pre-COVID-19 pandemic annual average of 261,300 in 2019.
Second consecutive decline in payroll employment in accommodation and food services
In October, payroll employment in accommodation and food services (-3,500; -0.3%) declined for the second consecutive month, following a drop of 8,400 (-0.6%) in September.
The cumulative declines in this sector in September and October were attributable to declines in full-service restaurants and limited-service eating places (-14,000; -1.4%). In October, this industry accounted for more than three-quarters (76.9%) of overall payroll employment in the accommodation and food services sector.
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in accommodation and food services was down 13,700 (-1.0%) in October.
Payroll employment gain in October in retail trade partially offsets the decline in September
In October, payroll employment in retail trade increased by 4,200 (+0.2%), partially offsetting the decline in September (-8,400; -0.4%). Despite the October increase, overall payroll employment in the sector has generally trended downward since February 2024, with a net decline of 21,200 (-1.1%) over the period.
This net decline since February was concentrated in sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book, and miscellaneous retailers (-9,000; -4.2%), building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers (-7,900; -5.5%) and clothing, clothing accessories, shoes, jewelry, luggage and leather goods retailers (-6,700; -3.2%).
However, gains in payroll employment in several retail trade industries have dampened the overall downward trend since February. The gains over this period were concentrated in food and beverage retailers (+4,400; +0.8%), health and personal care retailers (+3,000; 1.4%) and motor vehicle and parts dealers (+2,300; +1.0%).
First monthly increase in payroll employment in construction since June
In October, payroll employment in construction increased by 3,400 (+0.3%), following three months of little change.
Year over year, payroll employment in the sector was up by 14,300 (+1.2%) in October. This increase was concentrated in specialty trade contractors (+15,000; +2.2%) but was dampened by a decrease in heavy and civil engineering construction (-2,200; -1.2%). Over the same period, payroll employment in non-residential building construction rose by 1,500 (+1.2%), while residential building construction was essentially unchanged.
Average weekly earnings increase in October
Month over month, average weekly earnings rose 0.5% to $1,284 in October, following little change in September. On a year-over-year basis, average weekly earnings were up 5.3% in October, following an increase of 4.9% in September. 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 October, average weekly hours worked fell 0.3% (to 33.4 hours) both on a month-over-month and year-over-year basis.
Job vacancies decline in October
Job vacancies decreased by 15,000 (-2.8%) to 513,200 in October, following little change in September and a decrease of 16,700 (-3.1%) in August. The number of job vacancies in October was down by nearly half (-48.9%) from the peak of over one million reached in May 2022. Compared to October 2023, job vacancies were down by 159,400 (-23.7%) in October 2024.
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—was 2.9% in October, down by 0.1 percentage points from the previous month (3.0%) and down by 0.9 percentage points from October 2023 (3.8%).
There were 2.8 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in October 2024, up from 2.7 in the previous month. Since October 2023, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio rose from 1.8 to 2.8, reflecting the cooling of labour market conditions over this period.
Infographic 1
Job vacancies decline in October, continuing downward trend
Job vacancies fall in five sectors and rise in health care and social assistance
In October, job vacancies decreased in five sectors, including retail trade (-5,700; -12.1%), transportation and warehousing (-5,600; -18.7%), manufacturing (-4,600; -13.2%), other services (except public administration) (-4,400; -16.8%), and finance and insurance (-2,900; -15.5%). Health care and social assistance (+7,700; +6.7%) was the lone sector to record an increase in October. Job vacancies held steady in the remaining 14 sectors.
On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies fell in 15 sectors in October. The largest declines were recorded in accommodation and food services (-23,500; -29.8%), retail trade (-22,500; -35.2%), construction (-20,700; -34.9%), and health care and social assistance (-19,900; -14.1%).
Job vacancies decrease in retail trade
Job vacancies in retail trade declined by 5,700 (-12.1%) to 41,400 in October, their lowest level since April 2016 (40,600). The number of vacancies in the sector was down by 22,500 (-35.2%) on a year-over-year basis, and down by 71,300 (-63.3%) compared with the peak in December 2021 (112,700).
In October, the job vacancy rate (2.0%) in retail trade also reached the lowest rate since April 2016 (when it was also 2.0%). Month over month, the job vacancy rate in October 2024 was down 0.3 percentage points from September (2.3%) and 1.1 percentage points from October 2023 (3.1%).
Transportation and warehousing records lowest number of job vacancies since March 2020
In October, job vacancies in transportation and warehousing decreased by 5,600 (-18.7%) to 24,400. This was the lowest level of job vacancies since March 2020 (24,300) (excluding the period from April 2020 to September 2020, when data were not available). On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies within the sector decreased by 10,800 (-30.6%) in October.
The job vacancy rate in transportation and warehousing stood at 2.8% in October, marking a decrease of 0.6 percentage points from September (3.4%). Compared to October 2023 (4.0%), the job vacancy rate was 1.2 percentage points lower.
Job vacancies fall in manufacturing
In manufacturing, the number of vacant positions decreased by 4,600 (-13.2%) to 30,400 in October, more than offsetting the increase in September (+3,100; +9.6%). Job vacancies in the sector were down by 10,500 (-25.7%) on a year-over-year basis, and down by nearly two-thirds (-65.1%) since the record high reached in April 2022.
The job vacancy rate in the sector was 1.9% in October 2024, down 0.3 percentage points from September (2.2%) and 0.6 percentage points from October 2023 (2.5%).
Job vacancies down in Alberta and up in Manitoba
In Alberta, the number of vacant positions decreased by 8,700 (-12.0%) to 63,700, while Manitoba saw an increase of 2,300 (+12.0%) to 21,900 in October. Vacancies were little changed in the remaining provinces.
On a year-over-year basis, the job vacancy rate decreased in nine provinces in October, while holding steady in Prince Edward Island. The provinces with the largest declines were British Columbia (-1.1 percentage points to 3.5%), Quebec (-1.1 percentage points to 3.1%), and Newfoundland and Labrador (-1.1 percentage points to 2.1%).
Among the provinces, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba had the highest job vacancy rates (3.5% in each province), while Newfoundland and Labrador (2.1%) recorded the lowest rate in October.
Chart 3
Year over year, the job vacancy rates decreased in nine provinces and two territories in October
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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. 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; 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 January 13, 2025.
Next release
November 2024 data for SEPH and JVWS will be released on January 30, 2025.
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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