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Table 2
Average hourly wages of employees aged 15 and older, job permanence and union coverage, by sex, Canada, annual, 1998 to 2008

  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Average hourly wages1, in dollars
All employees (permanent and temporary) 15.78 16.17 16.66 17.22 17.66 18.04 18.50 19.09 19.72 20.41 21.32
Men 17.32 17.79 18.38 18.98 19.37 19.75 20.16 20.74 21.43 22.17 23.18
Women 14.10 14.42 14.81 15.35 15.84 16.26 16.78 17.38 17.96 18.62 19.43
Union coverage2 18.68 19.05 19.46 19.89 20.51 20.98 21.57 22.15 22.73 23.51 24.46
Men 19.63 20.05 20.48 20.95 21.42 21.96 22.44 22.96 23.58 24.32 25.28
Women 17.57 17.91 18.30 18.72 19.53 19.92 20.66 21.30 21.86 22.71 23.65
Non-union coverage3 14.35 14.80 15.32 15.94 16.31 16.65 17.08 17.65 18.33 18.98 19.89
Men 16.12 16.67 17.33 18.00 18.40 18.67 19.10 19.69 20.43 21.20 22.24
Women 12.50 12.84 13.21 13.79 14.10 14.56 14.98 15.54 16.15 16.71 17.48
Permanent employees4 16.27 16.69 17.24 17.81 18.27 18.62 19.12 19.73 20.38 21.07 21.98
Men 17.91 18.42 19.06 19.65 20.09 20.45 20.87 21.50 22.19 22.93 23.97
Women 14.45 14.81 15.25 15.80 16.31 16.70 17.27 17.86 18.49 19.14 19.94
Union coverage 18.87 19.29 19.71 20.15 20.78 21.24 21.87 22.43 23.07 23.82 24.79
Men 19.80 20.27 20.70 21.20 21.68 22.18 22.74 23.21 23.85 24.57 25.55
Women 17.73 18.13 18.55 18.95 19.80 20.20 20.94 21.59 22.24 23.06 24.01
Non-union coverage 14.92 15.40 16.01 16.65 17.04 17.34 17.80 18.41 19.11 19.77 20.68
Men 16.86 17.45 18.20 18.86 19.30 19.57 19.97 20.65 21.40 22.17 23.24
Women 12.89 13.25 13.69 14.30 14.63 15.04 15.53 16.07 16.72 17.29 18.04
Temporary employees5 12.14 12.34 12.60 13.20 13.55 13.95 14.26 14.91 15.30 15.99 16.59
Men 12.62 12.98 13.28 13.98 14.27 14.62 14.90 15.45 16.02 16.78 17.30
Women 11.67 11.71 11.94 12.48 12.87 13.31 13.68 14.40 14.64 15.25 15.91
Union coverage 16.82 16.78 17.18 17.76 18.30 18.78 19.09 19.94 20.20 21.14 21.84
Men 17.52 17.59 18.11 18.59 19.08 19.93 19.63 20.72 21.29 22.14 22.86
Women 16.23 16.05 16.38 17.01 17.63 17.79 18.66 19.29 19.30 20.32 20.99
Non-union coverage 10.56 10.87 11.03 11.53 11.75 12.10 12.47 13.01 13.38 13.97 14.54
Men 11.13 11.55 11.75 12.33 12.56 12.74 13.30 13.60 14.12 14.85 15.33
Women 9.99 10.17 10.31 10.78 10.93 11.45 11.67 12.42 12.65 13.12 13.75
1. Information is collected on the usual wages or salary of employees at their main job. Respondents are asked to report their wage/salary before taxes and other deductions, and include tips, commissions and bonuses.
2. Employees who are members of a union and employees who are not union members but who are covered by a collective agreement or a union contract.
3. Employees who are not members of a union or not covered by a collective agreement or a union contract.
4. A permanent job is one that is expected to last as long as the employee wants it, given that business conditions permit. That is, there is no pre-determined termination date.
5. A temporary job has a predetermined end date, or will end as soon as a specified project is completed.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, 1998 to 2008.