MONTREAL — Quebec workers who feel they have lost purchasing power in the past year are not mistaken: the Institut de la statistique du Québec confirms that the average hourly wage has increased by 2.2 % in 2021 while inflation was 3.8%.
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The average salary therefore stood at $28.81 per hour in 2021, indicates the ISQ in its State of the labor market in Quebec, published on Wednesday.
“Wage growth did not follow, indeed, inflation in 2021. So, there is really a delay in this respect,” agreed in an interview Luc Cloutier-Villeneuve, analyst in labor statistics at the ‘ISQ.
“On the other hand, there is a composition effect which plays into the increase in the average salary, because there was nevertheless an increase of 100,000 jobs of $30 or more which were added. But there have been almost as many jobs that are between $15 and $29, so that are in the middle wage. So that’s why the hourly wage hasn’t changed much,” explained Mr. Cloutier-Villeneuve.
less for women
And women have been hit harder than men.
The Statistical Institute of Quebec reveals that the average salary of men increased by 2.7% to reach $30.16. Meanwhile, women’s hourly wages rose 1.5% to $27.39.
Mr. Cloutier-Villeneuve points out that men do not work in the same sectors as women.
For example, there has been a significant increase in employment in construction and in professional, scientific and technical services, such as computers — well-paid sectors, where men are clearly more present than women.
“At the same time, the fact remains that in health, there was an increase of 41,400 jobs. And these jobs are held, as we know, mostly by women. But that doesn’t seem to have had an impact on salaries. Comparing the increase in wages, we see that women are lagging behind,” concluded Mr. Cloutier-Villeneuve.
Lia Lévesque, The Canadian Press
