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Canadian average weekly earnings: 12-month growth reached 3.68% in August 2026

Average weekly earnings in Canada were 3.68% higher in August 2026 than a year earlier, up from a 12-month change of 3.2% in July.

Published 1 min read

  • 2026-073.2%
  • 2026-083.68%
Canada average weekly earnings (12-month change) · Statistics Canada

Canada Wage growth →

What changed in the August figures?

Average weekly earnings in Canada grew faster in August 2026. The 12-month change in average weekly earnings was 3.68% in August 2026. This compares earnings in August 2026 with earnings in August of the year before.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

How does August compare with July?

In July 2026 the same measure was 3.2%. The growth rate was therefore higher in August than in July. The difference between the two monthly readings is 0.48 percentage points. This is a gap between two growth rates, not a 0.48% rise in earnings.

Sources for this paragraph (3)

What does this mean for people in Canada?

For people working in Canada, average weekly earnings in August 2026 were 3.68% above their level a year earlier. That growth rate was faster than the 3.2% recorded for July.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

This is an average across all earners. It does not show how pay changed for any particular job, region or household. Some people will have seen larger gains, some smaller, and some none.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

What can the data not tell us?

The figures cover only two months. Two readings are not enough to say whether faster earnings growth will continue.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

The figures do not explain why earnings growth picked up. They also do not show whether the change came from higher hourly pay, longer hours or a shift in the mix of jobs.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

Consumer price inflation was 3.09% over 12 months in September 2026. That figure covers a different month and a different measure from the August earnings data. This report does not set the two side by side to judge whether earnings kept up with prices.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

Scenarios to watch

  • Scenario, not a forecast If the next monthly release shows a 12-month change at or above the August level, the faster pace seen in August would look more lasting.
  • Scenario, not a forecast If the next reading falls back toward the July level, the rise from July to August would look more like a single-month movement.

What to check next

  • The next monthly release of average weekly earnings (12-month change) for September 2026
  • Whether any revision is made to the August 2026 figure of 3.68%
  • The next consumer price inflation release, read for its own month

Verified data used in this report

IndicatorValuePeriodSourcesAccessed
F1Canada average weekly earnings (12-month change)3.68%2026-08Statistics Canada
F2Canada average weekly earnings (12-month change)3.2%2026-07Statistics Canada
F3Change from previous period (percentage points)0.48pp2026-08Statistics Canada
C11Canada consumer price inflation (12-month change)3.09%2026-09Statistics Canada
C12Canada food price inflation (12-month change)2.18%2026-09Statistics Canada
C13Canada new housing price index (12-month change)-2.04%2026-09Statistics Canada
C14Canada central bank policy rate (month-end)2.25%2026-09Bank of Canada
C15Canada shelter prices (CPI, 12-month change)1.75%2026-09Statistics Canada
C16Canada unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted)6.5%2026-09Statistics Canada
C18Canada GDP growth (annual %)1.74%2025World Bank
C19Canada Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate)6.91%2025World Bank
C20Canada Fertility rate, total (births per woman)1.252024World Bank
C21Canada Population aged 65 and above (% of total population)20.26%2025World Bank
C22Canada Population growth (annual %)0.94%2025World Bank

Sources

  • Source: Statistics Canada. Reproduced and distributed on an "as is" basis with the permission of Statistics Canada — license
  • Source: Bank of Canada — license
  • Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) — license

How this report was checked

  • Data: the newest reference period cited is 2026-09.
  • Figures were collected from the source on
  • Written by an AI model (claude-opus-5-5) using only the official figures listed in this report.
  • Automatic checks passed: every number matches a cited figure, every paragraph names its evidence, and there is no investment advice or copied source text.
  • A separate quality-check model raised concerns, and the report was rewritten once to address them.
  • No person reviewed this report before publication. Automatic checks confirm the numbers, not every interpretation.
Update history
  • 2026-10-29 15:30 UTC — created
  • 2026-10-29 15:30 UTC — approved+published

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