The PayScale Index Highlights - Q4 2012
2012 was a strong year for Canada, with annual wage growth of at least 2 percent for all metros in Q4.
Check out The PayScale Index to find out about Canada's overall economic health, which city's residents are enjoying the best earnings growth and whether you're wise to ask for a bump in pay.
1. Cities Built on Oil. Edmonton and
Calgary continue to dominate the list when it comes to pay growth over time. These oil towns have experienced roughly a 20 percent increase in wages since 2006.
2. Calgary Conquers. When looking at the highest wage growth over the last year, Calgary dominates the list with annual wage growth of 4.6 percent. Edmonton came in second with 3.3 percent. Calgary was also tops for quarterly wage growth at 1.6 percent, followed by
Vancouver at 1.4 percent.
3. Shaky Success for Ottawa. Ottawa continues to be an up and down metro, with wages growing and then falling quarter after quarter. However, even though the quarter-to-quarter movement is volatile, the wage growth outweighs the wage declines and wages are currently about 3.5 percent higher than their previous peak levels in 2008.
The PayScale Index tracks quarterly changes in total cash compensation for full-time, private industry employees in the United States. In addition to a national index, it includes separate indices for specific industries, metropolitan areas, job categories, and company sizes. The PayScale Index uses 2006 average total cash compensation as a baseline.
