OTTAWA — Unionized workers earned about eight per cent more than their non-union counterparts in 1999, Statistics Canada reported Thursday.
The statistics agency found the gap between the two groups has been shrinking.
In 1986, union workers earned 20 per cent more and as recently as 1998, the difference was still 12 per cent, according to a report from the Canadian Press.
However, the average wage gap was not uniform across industries, occupations and regions. Union construction workers earned about 19 per cent more than non-union people, while unionized management and professional workers actually earned one per cent less than non-union colleagues.
In 1999, the last year for which figures are available, union workers earned an average of $20.36 an hour, while non-union workers earned $17.82. That’s a difference of 14 per cent, but when different characteristics of both workers and firms — such as industry, occupation, tenure and region — are taken into account, the overall gap dropped to eight per cent.
The study found that union workers spent on average of nine years with their employers, compared with six years for non-union people and were more likely to be production, professional or technical workers than managerial or clerical workers.
Union workers were more likely to come from primary manufacturing, communications, utilities, and education and health care industries.
They were also more likely to be found in larger firms and in not-for-profit organizations. Union membership was high in Quebec and British Columbia, while Ontario and Alberta had significantly more non-union employees.