OTTAWA, March 31 (UPI) -- Average non-farm Canadian weekly payroll earnings rose 4.2 percent to $870.33 in January on an annual basis, Statistics Canada reported Thursday from Ottawa.
"This was the sixth consecutive month with year-over-year growth at around 4 percent," the agency said. "A 1.3 percent increase in the average workweek contributed to the … advance in weekly earnings between January 2010 and January 2011."
By sector, the largest gain in average weekly earnings was in administrative and support services, which rose by 8.5 percent to $721.27 in the 12 months to January, StatsCan said.
The average number of hours worked per week by salaried and hourly employees rose 1.3 percent, or about a half-hour, on an annual basis to 33.2 hours, the report said.
In the 12 months to January, the number of payroll employees increased 1.9 percent, or 270,400 jobs, the agency said.
