Average salary in Canada 2026: CAD 1,337.77 a week

What the CAD 1,337.77 covers

The number is a mean, gross of tax, seasonally adjusted, for every employee on a payroll in May 2026. It was up 3.4% on May 2025. Because part-time staff are included, it sits below what a typical full-time worker earns, so treat it as a floor when you benchmark a full-time offer.

Statistics Canada does not give a median in this release, and we have not confirmed a median from another official table, so this page does not state one. If you need a wage index to adjust pay over time, this is the monthly payroll series to track; the annual 2025 average and the releases after May 2026 were not part of our check.

Average salary in Canada by region

The provinces and territories, compared

The three territories top the table. Nunavut averages CAD 1,862.20 a week and the Northwest Territories CAD 1,765.69. Among the provinces, Alberta (CAD 1,378.85) and Ontario (CAD 1,377.49) are almost level, with British Columbia at CAD 1,354.67. Prince Edward Island is lowest at CAD 1,189.61.

The gap between Alberta and Prince Edward Island is CAD 189.24 a week, or CAD 9,840.48 over a year. Quebec, at CAD 1,293.11, falls below the national mean, which matters if you are choosing where to hire. Statistics Canada also publishes industry figures in its release tables; we did not read them, so none appear here.

What an average-paid employee costs

Take the annualized CAD 69,564.04 for an employee outside Quebec:

• CPP: (69,564.04 − 3,500) x 5.95% = CAD 3,930.81
• EI: insurable earnings stop at CAD 68,900, so the employer pays the 2026 maximum of 68,900 x 1.63% x 1.4 = CAD 1,572.30
• Total federal contributions: CAD 5,503.11, or 7.91% of pay

The salary is under the CAD 74,600 pension ceiling, so the second CPP tier (4% on earnings up to CAD 85,000) does not apply. Then add the province: Ontario's Employer Health Tax of up to 1.95% for large payrolls, workers' compensation by industry, and in Quebec the QPP, parental insurance and Health Services Fund instead. Our country employer cost index lists Canada's federal share alongside other countries.

Average pay against the minimum wage

Ontario's minimum of CAD 17.95 an hour comes to CAD 718 for a 40-hour week, so the national average of CAD 1,337.77 is 1.86 times a full-time Ontario minimum. Against the federal CAD 18.15 rate (CAD 726 a week) it is 1.84 times. The Canadian minimum wage page lists every provincial rate and its next change date.

Hiring at a Canadian market salary

An employer of record lets you hire without a Canadian company. Published list prices run from $99 (Native Teams, whose help center says EUR 99) to $699 (Oyster) per employee per month (checked October 16 and 18, 2026), with Deel at $599. On a CAD 69,564 salary the fee is a smaller share of cost than at minimum wage, but $599 a month ($7,188 a year) is still more than the CAD 5,503.11 (about $3,886) of federal employer contributions.

The guide to hiring in Canada through an EOR works through a full monthly cost, our EOR rankings compare providers on published scores, and EOR price comparison shows each fee and deposit. If you plan a long hire, Canada's parental leave rules explain what EI covers and what it does not.