Alberta leads country in highest hourly wages

Alberta continues to lead the country when it comes to high wages.

Five of the 10 economic regions in Canada with the highest average full-time hourly wage last year were in Alberta, according to data released from Statistic Canada'sjob vacancy and wage survey Tuesday.

Wood Buffalo and Cold Lake topped the list with an average hourly wage of $34.35, with Calgary coming in third at $31.95 and Edmonton in sixth at $31.

The average full-time hourly wage, including tips and other incentives, across Canada was$27.60.

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In 2016, six economic regions in Alberta made the list, but the average actually dropped slightly for some regions between2016 and2017. In 2016, the average hourly wage in Wood Buffalo was $36.50 and Calgary's was $32.60.

By occupation, the highest increases last year were seen in the natural resources and agriculture sectors which saw wages rise by five per cent to$23.25 per hour for full-time jobs, and job vacancies in the sectors grew by 20.9 per cent from the previous year.

• Alberta leads country in average wages and wage growth

Alberta also had the highest proportion of people aged 25 to 39 working full time, at 39.8 per cent, according to the organization's labour force survey.

The 10 regions with the lowest average hourly regions were located in the Atlantic provinces and Quebec.

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