P.E.I. wages slump, lowest in the country

P.E.I. wage earners, who benefited from a period of growth in pay for more than two years, now have entered into a prolonged slump.

The bad news was in a report released by Statistics Canada Thursday.

Back in May of 2014, Island wage earnings were bringing home about 81 per cent of the Canadian average weekly earnings. But earnings rose from that date, peaking in September of last year at 86.9 per cent.

They have been falling since, dropping back to 84.4 per cent in May.

Retail wages falling

Retail is the largest employer on the Island, and Statistics Canada reports fell 1.3 per cent in the last year, the biggest drop in the country's 10 largest sectors.

At $820.56 per week, P.E.I. wages are the lowest in Canada.

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