Facts about Atlantic Canada’s Energy Sector:

  • The average compensation for paid employees in Atlantic Canada’s energy sector was $102,508 in 2022.
    • This is more than 1.5 times the average for other jobs in the region.

The Atlantica Centre for Energy analyzed data from Statistics Canada to determine the average compensation for paid employees in the Atlantic Canada’s energy sector relative to all sectors. Atlantic Canadian energy sector workers earned, on average,$102,508 between wages and benefits in 2022, while the average for all sector employees was $67,232.

Sources:

Notes:

  • Compensation is included for paid employees only, not self-employed workers.
  • Total compensation includes two components— wages and salaries, and supplementary labour income. The wages and salaries include all types of regular earnings, special payments, stock options and bonus payments. Supplementary labour income comprises employers’ contributions or payments to a variety of paid workers benefit plans for the health and financial well-being of paid workers and their families.
  • According to Canada’s Energy Factbook 2023-2024: “energy sector jobs paid an average of $121,435 per year, while the average Canadian job paid $62,459.” This ratio is 1.94X the average wage.
  • According to, Atlantic Canada’s Energy Workforce Regional Labour Market Outlook to 2035, by Careers in Energy, the compensation ratio is 2.40X in Atlantic Canada (excluding the electricity sector).
  • Relevant energy occupations were selected from a list of occupations outlined in StatsCan’s data: Conventional oil and gas extraction [211113]; Non-conventional oil extraction  [211114]; Coal mining  [2121]; Support activities for oil and gas extraction  [21311A]; Electric power generation, transmission and distribution  [2211]; Natural gas distribution  [2212]; Oil and gas engineering construction  [23C2]; Electric power engineering construction  [23C3]; Petroleum refineries  [32411]; Petroleum and coal products manufacturing (except petroleum refineries)  [3241A]; Petroleum product wholesaler-distributors  [412]; Pipeline transportation of natural gas  [4862]; and, Crude oil and other pipeline transportation  [486A].