If you are thinking of going to Canada to work, you will surely be interested in knowing which are the best paid professions, but also the average salaries of the different Canadian cities.
In this country, salaries are higher than in other parts of the world, and obviously some professions have higher salaries than others. Most jobs pay more as you gain experience in the country, quickly reaching $60,000 per year. In general, qualified professionals tend to have a median annual salary of $120,000, but it can be much higher, because in Canada the sky is the limit!
We’ve rounded up all the information you need to know about the best salaries in Canada, including:
The minimum wage by province in Canada
Average salaries by province in Canada
Professions with the best salaries
Read on and find out if you have one of those highly paid professional profiles.
The professional minimum wage in Canada
As in all Anglo-Saxon countries there is a minimum wage per hour. In Canada, the legislative power to set the minimum wage falls on the provinces, so the minimum wage in each province will be different. This means that depending on whether you are going to study and work in Toronto, Ontario, or Vancouver, British Columbia, your minimum salary will be different.
In any case, the minimum wage is around $15 an hour, although in some of the provinces the hourly minimum is higher, since the cost of living is also higher. Here is a table that lists the minimum wage per hour in each province of Canada.
| Province | Minimum wage per hour (2021) |
|---|---|
| Alberta | $15.00 |
| British Columbia | $15.20 |
| Manitoba | $11.95 |
| New Brunswick | $11.75 |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | $12.75 |
| Northwest Territories | $15.20 |
| Nova Scotia | $12.95 |
| Nunavut | $16.00 |
| Ontario | $14.35 |
| Prince Edward Island | $13.00 |
| Quebec | $13.50 |
| Saskatchewan | $11.81 |
| Yukon | $15.20 |
Although the government sets the minimum wage, wages vary across sectors and and professional activities.
Average wages by Province in Canada
In Canada, as in many countries, salaries are different according to the provinces, Already that the cost of living in Canada is different by region.
We are going to review by province so you can see what the average salary is depending on where you are going to live and work.
- Alberta is one of the most job-rich (and oil-rich) provinces in Canada. The median income there is $61,000: the highest in the country.
- Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, has an average salary of $55,000: the second highest income in Canada.
- British Columbia . In BC, the average salary is $53,000. As BC is one of the most expensive provinces in which to live, we expected the average to be higher.
- Saskatchewan has a median income of $54,000, the fourth highest in Canada.
- Manitoba. The average salary in Manitoba is $49,000 per year, the fifth highest average income in Canada.
- Newfoundland and Labrador. Arguably the friendliest province in Canada, has an average salary of $55,000 per year.
- Prince Edward Island, the province that gave life to the house of Anne of Green Gables, has one of the highest median salaries in the maritime provinces: $45,000 per year.
- New Brunswick, the first coastal Province, has an average salary of
$49,000 per year. That’s a lot of money! - Québec. Despite being a very popular province, it has one of the lowest average incomes in the country: $51,000.
- Nova Scotia has an average income of $48,000 per year.
Professions with the best salaries
It is true that some sectors have a natural predisposition to have better salaries than others, but the number of figures you earn will not only depend on the sector in which you work, but on your specific position.
These are some of the highest paying jobs in Canada:
- CFO. How well you will be compensated will depend on the size of the company, but you can expect a starting salary of around $100,000 and can easily reach $140,000.
- Microbiologist / virologist. Fighting infections caused by viruses and microbes is a highly paid skill in Canada. If this is your profession, you will start earning about $140,000, and can eventually earn $300,000 a year.
- Executive Director. If you are the CEO of a moderately recognized company in Canada, your salary can exceed $250,000.
- Radiologist. The health sector offers the best paid professions. Many radiologists in Canada typically earn about $360,000 per year.
- Ophthalmologist. Within the this health sector, we find other specialists who are not short on salaries either. Ophthalmologists can charge about $160,000 a year. If they have a private practice, they can earn up to $400,000 per year.
- Pediatrician. If you like children and medicine, you have likely opted for pediatrics. If you practice this profession in Canada, you will not be short of money. These specialists easily earn $250,000 a year.
- Gynecologist. The annual salary for this profession will vary depending on your geographical location and whether you work at a private or public practice, but you can earn up to $250,000 per year.
- Oncologist. This profession is in very high demand in Canada. The best oncologists can earn between $350,000 and $450,000 a year.
- Professor of Medicine. Teaching college students how to become doctors is very well compensated in this North American country: about $300,000 a year. Not bad!
In summary
It’s clear that if you want to earn more, you will have to invest in your training first. If you study medicine, nursing or business, you will clearly have a good salary. But there are also other qualified jobs with which to earn some of the best salaries in Canada, such as working as an architect, marketing manager, lawyer, pilot or data scientist. You will see how, with these professions, you will have a secure future in Canada.
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