REGINA — Saskatchewan employees are putting in longer workweeks than the average Canadian, but newly released statistics highlight significant gaps in hours and earnings when broken down by industry and gender.
According to the latest Labour Force Survey data from Statistics Canada, the average employed person in Saskatchewan works 36.8 hours per week. That is a full hour more than the national average of 35.8 hours.
Saskatchewan ranks fourth in the country for the longest workweek, trailing only Newfoundland and Labrador at 38 hours, Prince Edward Island at 37.8 hours and New Brunswick at 37 hours. Quebec has the shortest average workweek in the country at 34.7 hours.
While Saskatchewan workers are clocking more time on the job, a closer look at the provincial numbers reveals notable differences between men and women in the workforce.
Across all industries in the province, men work an average of 39.5 hours a week and earn $36.27 an hour. Women average 33.6 hours a week and take home $32.09 an hour, resulting in a general wage gap of $4.18 per hour.
Those disparities become much more drastic when separated into specific sectors, with resource extraction showing the widest divide.
The highest-paying sector in the province is forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, and oil and gas, with an overall average wage of $52.38 an hour. However, men in this sector earn an average of $55.01 an hour, while women earn $39.71, marking a difference of more than $15 an hour.
A similar trend appears in professional, scientific and technical services. Men in that sector earn an average of $49.48 an hour compared to $38.15 for women, creating a wage gap of more than $11. Educational services also see a disparity, with men earning $42.12 an hour against the $35.12 earned by women.
Conversely, the utilities sector presents a starkly different picture. While the overall average hourly wage is $48.23, women in utilities earn significantly more than their male counterparts. The data shows women making an average of $58.55 an hour, compared to $46.18 for men.
When it comes to the lowest-paying jobs in the province, the gender gap narrows considerably. In accommodation and food services, which has the lowest provincial average wage at $18.52 an hour, men earn $18.76 and women earn $18.37.
