UCP's stalled wage growth puts Alberta workers below national average

Less than a decade ago the average Alberta worker earned Canada's top wage -- by a lot. Not anymore. Who can reverse Alberta's troubling trend?

Despite record-setting oil production at very high prices, the average wage of an hourly-paid job in Alberta has barely increased in the past year, dropping it below the national average and and into fourth rank among the provinces, according to Statistics Canada.

StatsCan data released June 2 shows Alberta’s oil field production in March hit 86.9 million barrels up from 85.1 million in March 2025 and 60.8 million in March 2016.

But record production at high prices caused by war in Iran has not turned up in Alberta paycheques. Alberta has the lowest minimum wage and union density in Canada.

Over the past 12 months the average hourly wage (including overtime) rose by $1.54 in Quebec, $1.64 in Ontario and $1.19 in British Columbia. But in Alberta, the average hourly wage only increased by 11 cents, according to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours for April.

Quebec workers now enjoy the highest average hourly wage in Canada.

Alberta’s stagnant average wage comes as the average wage in the oil and gas extraction industry falls, despite the windfall prices being charged by oil and gas companies.

The drop in average wage in the sector does not necessarily mean wages for individual workers are falling. The drop more likely reflects a reduction in overtime hours or a change in the composition of jobs in which the most highly-paid hourly workers have become a smaller percentage of industry employment.

More on Left East to West

Nikki and I discuss this data and some of the political implications in today’s episode where we also sit down with Saskatchewan NDP leader Carla Beck to talk about her strategy to defeat premier Scott Moe and her plan to power Saskatchewan.

Listen on podcast or watch on YouTube.