Canada’s oil patch pays the best average hourly wage in the nation, according to data released Thursday by Statistics Canada.
The agency’s 2016 Job Vacancy and Wage Survey found Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake, Alta. topped the nation with an average full-time hourly wage of $36.50. The national average was $27.70, excluding overtime, tips and incentives.
Alberta was home to six of the highest-paying regions in the country last year, with Calgary (fourth), Edmonton (sixth), Camrose-Drumheller (seventh), Banff (ninth) and Red Deer (10th) all cracking the top 10.
Canada's highest hourly wages by region
| Region | Average hourly wage |
|---|---|
| Wood Buffalo - Cold Lake, Alta. | $36.50 |
| Nunavut | $35.95 |
| Northwest Territories | $34.20 |
| Calgary, Alta. | $32.60 |
| Toronto, Ont. | $30.40 |
| Edmonton, Alta. | $30.20 |
| Regina - Moose Mountain, Sask. | $30.00 |
| Camrose - Drumheller, Alta. | $29.95 |
| Banff - Jasper = Rocky Mountain House and Athabasca - Grande Prairie - Peace River, Alta. |
$29.70 |
| Red Deer, Alta. | $29.20 |
Atlantic Canada and Quebec were home to the lowest hourly wages with Edmundston-Woodstock, N.B. and its $19.40 average coming in last.
Specialist physicians were the highest paid per occupation in Canada last year, earning $86.75 hourly, followed by dentists ($72) and petroleum engineers ($62.75). Management in the mining and energy sector topped the industrial hourly wage earners with an average of $64.45.
The service industry had the lowest hourly averages, with bartenders ($11.50 per hour before tips) at the bottom of the list. Servers ($11.85), hosts ($12.85) and counter attendants ($13.05) finished in the bottom four as well.
Canada's Highest hourly wages by job
| Job | Average hourly wage |
|---|---|
| Specialist physicians | $86.75 |
| Dentists | $72.00 |
| Petroleum engineers | $62.75 |
| Engineering managers | $58.30 |
| University professors and lecturers | $58.10 |
| Other managers in public administration | $56.25 |
| Geoscientists amd oceanographers | $55.50 |
| Senior government managers and officials | $55.45 |
| Commissioned police officers | $54.30 |
| Chemical engineers | $54.20 |
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