Government of New Brunswick
 

Executive Council Office
Calculating Your Wage Gap

Step 1: Calculate the Number of Women and Men Employees and their average hourly wage

Number of Women  
Average hourly wage  
 $      
 
     ¢
.
Number of Men  
Average hourly wage  
 $      
 
     ¢
.
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Calculator Note:
The wage gap based on average hourly earnings as an indicator considers pay for one hour of work. It is the most neutral and lowest wage gap compared with weekly and yearly earnings indicators, and is best used for research because it controls for factors such as differences of hours worked with employees who work full-time, part-time, flex-time, etc.
By comparing for wage rates only, it gives a clearer idea of wages as “value”.
The calculation is meant to provide employers with an indicator of wage gap, and is a measure of wage gap as a whole reflecting on both societal attitudes and contributors to the wage gap (family responsibilities, job clustering, and the under-valuation of traditional female occupations).
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In some cases, the Wage Gap may not be evident from doing a direct comparison for hourly wages.
  For example: An auto mechanic store with a small or zero wage gap % may still have issues with job clustering which is a contributor to the wage gap if all of their administrative staff are women and all of their mechanics are men.
 
Therefore, it is important for employers to also Evaluate Gender Composition within the organization by looking at:
 

•  % of women and men in senior management positions

 

•  % of women and men in the top pay classes

 

•  % of women and men in the bottom pay classes

 

•  Types of positions held by women and men

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How do you compare?
Wage Gap and Average Hourly Wages (2008)
Regions
Average Hourly Wage Rate ($)
Wage Gap (%)
Females
Males
  Canada
19.43
23.18
16.2
  Alberta
20.77
26.28
21.0
  Newfoundland and Labrador
16.77
20.94
19.9
  British Columbia
19.42
23.47
17.3
  Saskatchewan
18.46
22.21
16.9
  Ontario
20.19
24.13
16.3
  New Brunswick
16.46
19.16
14.1
  Nova Scotia
16.90
19.43
13.0
  Quebec
18.65
21.39
12.8
  Manitoba
18.02
20.43
11.8
  Prince Edward Island
16.71
17.25
3.1


Source: Statistics Canada CANSIM

Common Occupations Held by Women and Men
(New Brunswick, 2005)

Top 10 Most Common
Female Occupations

  1. Retail salespersons and sales clerks
  2. Registered nurses
  3. Cashiers
  4. Customer service, information and related clerks
  5. Secretaries (except legal and medical)
  6. Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
  7. General office clerks
  8. Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related occupations
  9. Light duty cleaners
  10. Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
  • Average Employment Income: $24,742
  • Seven of the top ten occupations earned less than the average female income.
  • 35% of working women in N.B. work in the top ten female occupations.

Top 10 Most Common
Male Occupations

  1. Truck drivers
  2. Retail salespersons and sales clerks
  3. Carpenters
  4. Janitors, caretakers and building superintendents
  5. Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers
  6. Retail trade managers
  7. Construction trades helpers and labourers
  8. Material handlers
  9. Other ranks, armed forces
  10. Customer service, information and related clerks
  • Average Employment Income: $35,896
  • Five of these ten occupations earned more than the average female income.
  • 24% of working men in N.B. work in the top ten male occupations.

Source: 2006 Census – Custom Tabulation

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