Income profile of Canadians - Video transcript
(The Statistics Canada symbol and Canada wordmark appear on screen with the title: "Income profile of Canadians")
Income profile of Canadians
In 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 and the corresponding public health measures and pandemic relief programs brought significant changes to the Canadian labour market and income landscape.
Employment income consists of wages, salaries and commissions from paid employment and net self-employment income.
Fewer Canadians received employment income in 2020, particularly women, lower-income earners and older workers. Overall, 69.6% of Canadians received employment income in 2020, down 0.4 percentage points from a year earlier. The median employment income was $37,200, down 2.1% from 2019.
The proportion of Canadians receiving employment income fell in most provinces and territories. Some provinces and territories reported higher median employment income in 2020 as lower-earning jobs disappeared.
Over two-thirds of Canadian adults received income from one or more pandemic relief programs.
Benefits from COVID-19 income supports offset losses in employment income among low-wage earners.
Household after-tax income combines income from all sources for all household members, and subtracts income taxes paid. It is seen to better represent the income Canadians have to support their consumption, investment and savings needs.
Household after-tax income growth accelerated from 2015 to 2020, particularly among families with children, driven by increases in government transfers.
After-tax income growth was faster for households with lower incomes, reflecting greater contributions of the Canada Child Benefit and pandemic relief benefits on the incomes of lower-income families.
After-tax incomes declined in Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador, reflecting lower oil prices at the time on top of COVID-19 slowdowns.
Income growth was faster in large urban centres compared with smaller population centres and rural areas, mirroring trends in population growth.
From 2015 to 2020, income inequality fell in all provinces and territories, with Alberta recording the largest decline.
The low-income rate fell in 2020, especially for families with children, but less for people living alone and it was mostly stable for seniors.
For more information, including data at the provincial, territorial and subprovincial levels, consult the 2021 Census Daily release of July 13, 2022.
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