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7
TRANSPORTATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Average Salaries
Overview
In 2000, average weekly earnings increased for all modes in
the transportation sector. The trucking industry and public transit
benefited from the highest increase, which averaged 2.1 per cent,
and marine modes ranked second with a 1.6 per cent increase. From
1996 to 2000, employees working in the rail industry received
weekly compensation 38 per cent higher, on average, than total
transportation wages across all modes. The marine and air industries
ranked second and third, respectively, in weekly earnings over
the same period.
In 2000, workers in Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba
enjoyed the highest weekly earnings for transportation-related
jobs, while workers in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan had the
lowest. Between 1996 and 2000, British Columbia's weekly compensation
was the greatest. Manitoba's average weekly earnings rose by 11.8
per cent over the same period, the largest increase recorded across
the country, followed by Alberta, with an 11.1 per cent increase.
New Brunswick is the only province where average weekly earnings
declined in 2000 compared with 1996.
Table 7-18 shows the average weekly earnings in the transportation
sector by mode and province, for the period 1996 to 2000.
Rail
The average annual compensation of employees working in the
rail industry has increased from $51,602 to $57,585 over the last
five years, an 11.6 per cent improvement since 1995. Throughout
this period (1995 to 1999), employees directly involved in transportation-related
activities received the highest salaries, 15.7 per cent
above the industry average in 1999. In addition, Class I carrier
employees earned annual wages significantly higher than their
Class II counterparts in each employment category except equipment
maintenance. In 1999, compensation in the rail industry increased
by 2.3 per cent. While the salary of transportation
employees saw an increase of 5.7 per cent, that of equipment and
road maintenance employees increased by less than two per cent
and the salary of workers classified as "general" declined
by 2.9 per cent.
Table 7-19 shows the average annual compensation in the rail
industry by employment category, for the period 1996 to 1999.
Trucking
Average weekly earnings in the Canadian trucking industry fluctuate
significantly from one province to another. From 1996 to 2000,
three provinces have shown average weekly earnings above the national
average: Alberta, British Colombia and Ontario. From year to year,
British Columbia has displayed the highest weekly earnings, reaching
20 per cent above the national average in the last three years.
In 1999, the lowest weekly earnings were recorded in the Atlantic
provinces, coming close to 30 per cent below the national average
in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island.
In 2000, a 1.9 per cent rise in the national average for weekly
salaries was recorded. Weekly earnings increased in all provinces
but New Brunswick, where a decline of less than one per cent was
observed. Newfoundland displayed the largest increase, with earnings
rising by 8.4 per cent. The highest weekly earnings were
$816 in British Columbia, while the lowest were $480 in Prince Edward
Island.
Table 7-20 shows the average weekly earnings in the trucking
industry by province, for the period 1996 to 2000.
Bus
In 1999, average annual salaries in the passenger bus and urban
transit industry declined in each industry segment except school
bus transportation, where salaries increased by 9.4 per cent.
School bus companies displayed the lowest average salaries over
the last five years even though compensation rose by 11.9 per
cent between 1995 and 1999, the largest increase recorded in the
industry.
Intercity bus companies paid their employees an average annual
salary of $29,969 in 1999. This represented an 8.4 per cent decrease
from 1998 levels and the largest drop in salary recorded over
the last five years for this segment of the industry. Compensation
in this segment has been steadily declining since the mid-1990s,
with an overall drop of 16.8 per cent from 1995 to 1999.
The average annual salary earned by employees working for charter
bus companies has declined significantly in the last two years:
by 16.5 per cent in 1998, and by 8.2 per cent in 1999. The 27
per cent compensation improvement observed in 1997 did not make
up for the overall average decrease of 17.5 per cent recorded
from 1995 to 1999.
Although employees of companies providing shuttle and sightseeing
bus services had the second lowest annual salaries recorded since
1997, they had the largest salary raises. After a 21 per cent
increase in 1998, salaries declined in 1999 by 4.5 per cent.
Urban transit companies displayed the highest average annual
salaries from 1995 to 1999. Although compensation has been increasing
since 1995, it showed a slight decline in 1999.
Table 7-21 shows the average annual salary in the passenger
bus and urban transit industry by segment for the period 1995
to 1999.
Marine
The salaries and benefits paid by Canadian-based marine carriers
to their employees have increased by four per cent since
1995. The increase was driven mainly by an improvement in the
compensation of non-vessel crew employees, whose salaries have
increased by an average of 9.4 per cent since 1996. Employees
of for-hire carriers saw their salaries increase by 10.7 per cent
from 1995 to 1999, even though they showed only a 0.7 per cent
increase in 1998.
For-hire carriers have higher labour costs than their government
and private carrier counterparts, with an average gap of close
to 15 per cent in recent years. The labour costs of government
and private marine carriers declined slightly in 1998 (by less
than one per cent), and have shown a downward trend of 4.7 per
cent from 1995 to 1998.
Table 7-22 shows the average annual labour costs per employee
for Canadian-based marine carriers for the period 1995 to 1999.
Air
Annual labour costs per employee increased by 7.8 per cent
in 1999 for Levels I-IV Canadian air carriers, the highest annual
salary rise in the last five years. All employees of Levels I-III
carriers have seen a significant improvement in their compensation.
The average salaries of other flight personnel, which have been
slightly decreasing since 1997, rose by 11 per cent in 1999. Notwithstanding
this increase, their salaries were still 20 per cent
below the average Levels I-III annual salary. Management and administrative
employees saw their remuneration increase by 9.7 per cent, while
pilots and other carrier personnel benefited from five and 6.8 per cent
salary increases, respectively.
In 1999, employees working for Level IV air carriers saw an
increase of 6.2 per cent in their compensation. This increase
put an end to a downward trend since 1996, but did not reduce
the salary gap that exists between Level IV employees and their
Levels I-III counterparts, which was 12.1 per cent in 1999.
Table 7-23 shows the annual labour costs per employee by employment
category for Levels I to IV of Canadian air carriers for the period
1995 to 1999.
Average Salaries
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