The number of Manitoba public sector workers earning more than $100,000 per year rose by 64 percent in the last two years, with the government spending an additional $456 million on employee wages compared to 2020.
The recently released list revealed 20,242 government sector employees made more than $100,000 in 2022, with the average salary coming in at $107,620. The highest salary that year was $1,032,721, up 21 percent from $850,684 in 2020.
The so-called sunshine list, which discloses all government salaries over $85,000, was analyzed by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), which is asking the Manitoba government to “control spending” and keep salaries in line with those of residents working in the private sector.
“Taxpayers are struggling while the Manitoba government continues to spend more and more on six-figure salaries,” CTF Prairie director Gage Haubrich said in a release on Oct. 16. “Manitobans are tightening their belts, and it’s time for the government to do the same.”
In total, 42,222 government sector employees made the 2022 list, with nearly half of them making more than $100,000. That’s up from 37,044 employees on the sunshine list in 2020.
Two employees topped $1 million and 10 made more than $750,000. Fifty-five employees made more than $500,000 and 298 exceeded $300,000.
The CTF also decried the above-average salaries being paid to school board employees, including a former executive of the Winnipeg School Division who earned $323,157 in 2022 after receiving an 18 percent increase from her 2021 salary.
He said spending needs to be curbed given the state of the province’s coffers. The Manitoba government is projecting a deficit of $363 million in 2023 and is expected to reach a debt of $31 billion by year’s end.
On average, the typical government employee earns 5.5 percent more than private sector workers and will retire approximately two years earlier. Government workers are also less likely to lose their jobs compared to other Manitoba residents.
Provincial employees aren’t alone when it comes to making a healthy salary. Many municipally-employed workers also earn well above the average private sector salary.
The City of Winnipeg’s annual compensation report revealed 19 employees made more than $200,000 in 2022, with 11 of them working for either the police or fire paramedic service.
