Advertisement
New Zealand markets closed
  • NZX 50

    12,105.29
    +94.63 (+0.79%)
     
  • NZD/USD

    0.5970
    -0.0006 (-0.10%)
     
  • NZD/EUR

    0.5535
    +0.0002 (+0.04%)
     
  • ALL ORDS

    8,153.70
    +80.10 (+0.99%)
     
  • ASX 200

    7,896.90
    +77.30 (+0.99%)
     
  • OIL

    83.11
    -0.06 (-0.07%)
     
  • GOLD

    2,254.80
    +16.40 (+0.73%)
     
  • NASDAQ

    18,254.69
    -26.15 (-0.14%)
     
  • FTSE

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • Dow Jones

    39,807.37
    +47.29 (+0.12%)
     
  • DAX

    18,492.49
    +15.40 (+0.08%)
     
  • Hang Seng

    16,541.42
    +148.58 (+0.91%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,369.44
    +201.37 (+0.50%)
     
  • NZD/JPY

    90.3140
    -0.0790 (-0.09%)
     

Fraser Institute News Release: B.C.’s pre-COVID (2019) median employment income lowest in region and more than $18,000 lower than Washington State’s

Fraser Institute
Fraser Institute

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Among eight peer jurisdictions (including Alberta and nearby U.S. states), British Columbia in 2019 had the lowest median employment income, a key indicator of economic well-being, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.

“The numbers tell the story—B.C. is an economic laggard within its region, which is bad news for residents of the province,” said Ben Eisen, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Measuring British Columbia’s Prosperity Gap.

Specifically, in 2019 (the latest pre-COVID year of available comparable data), the median employment income in B.C. ($34,008) was significantly lower than in all eight peer jurisdictions including the province’s two closest neighbours Alberta ($47,307) and Washington State ($52,037, which is $18,029 higher than in B.C.). The remaining jurisdictions include Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and California.

ADVERTISEMENT

This result is not surprising considering the trend. From 2010 to 2019, B.C.’s growth rate in median employment income was second-lowest among the eight jurisdictions and 9.5 percentage points lower than the rate in Idaho, the top-performing jurisdiction on this measure.

“If policymakers in B.C. want to help raise living standards in the province, they could learn from nearby jurisdictions including their next-door neighbours,” Eisen said.


MEDIA CONTACT
:
Ben Eisen, Senior Fellow
Fraser Institute

To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact:
Mark Hasiuk, Fraser Institute
(604) 688-0221 ext. 517
mark.hasiuk@fraserinstitute.org

Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter |   Become a fan on Facebook

The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute’s independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org