More than four in five (81 per cent) public sector employees had access to medical or dental benefits in 2024, compared to around two-thirds (62 per cent) of private sector workers, according to Statistics Canada.
Access to paid vacation leave followed a similar pattern, with more than four in five (82 per cent) public sector employees entitled to it versus 70 per cent of private sector workers. A higher rate of unionization in the public sector may have contributed to the broader access.
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Concerns about job security were also uneven across the labour market. In April 2025, around 14 per cent of West Asian employees and 13 per cent of Arab employees said they feared losing their job within six months, compared to just seven per cent of non-racialized and non-Indigenous employees. Both West Asian and Arab workers were also more likely to hold temporary positions, consistent with results from November 2023.
The report also highlighted wage growth trends. After adjusting for inflation, the average hourly wage of employees in 2024 rose $1.69 (five per cent) compared with its 2019 pre-pandemic level and $5.47 (18.4 per cent) from 2006. Over the longer period, women’s wages grew faster (21.3 per cent) than men’s (15.9 per cent).
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Among core-aged workers, average hourly wages for First Nations people living off reserve ($33.37), Métis in the provinces ($35.67) and Inuit in the provinces ($33.42) remained below those of their non-Indigenous counterparts ($37.77). Higher education narrowed the wage gap: among people with a bachelor’s degree or higher, the gap disappeared for Métis workers and was narrower for First Nations workers.