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Subject:SUMMARY: Anecdotal data on Canadian salaries From:Darren Barefoot <dbarefoot -at- mpsbc -dot- com> To:"Techwriting list (E-mail)" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 24 Mar 2000 11:33:15 -0800
A couple of days ago I requested that Canadian technical writers email me
salary information, so that I could get a better idea of how we're paid
across the country. As I only got about ten answers, one can't draw a whole
lot of conclusions from the data, but it's certainly apparent that wages
significantly differ depending on the region you're in (no surprise).
Comparing these results with this year's STC salary survey
(http://www.stc-va.org/PDF_Files/99salary.pdf), they seem relatively
accurate. If anyone else wants to offer up any information, I'm always
collecting data. If I get lots more info, I'll post an update at some point.
Needless to say, all amounts are in Canadian dollars. Without naming any
names, here's the info I got, heading east to west:
Halifax, NS
$42,000
Writer with one year experience and a Masters in Political Science
$40,000
Writer with one year of experience and two Masters degrees
$35,000
Entry-level writer with Bachelor of Arts in pertinent field (English,
Journalism or Communications)
Montreal, PQ
$30,000 - $35,000
Writer with 0 - 2 years of experience
$35,000 - $48,000
Writer with 0 - 2 years of experience
$48,000 - $55,000
Writer with 2 - 5 years of experience
Toronto, ON
$44,000 - $52,000
Entry-level writers with 0 to 2 years experience
$50,000 - $65,000
Mid-level writers
$62,000 - $80,000
Senior writer
Markham, ON
$63,000 - $67,000
Mid to senior writer
Winnipeg, MB
$54,000
Writer with twelve years experience and a Masters in English
$43,000
Writer with five years experience and some university
Vancouver, BC
$55,000
Mid-level writer with 3 years experience and some university
$42,000
Mid-level writer with 2 years experience and Bachelor of Fine Arts
$38, 500
Entry-level writer with 1 year experience and Bachelor of Science
Victoria, BC
$48,000
Writer with one year experience and a degree in computer science
Note that these figures do not include benefits such as stock options or
bonus packages (which can range from, according to the respondents, from 10
- 15% of salary per year). Thanks. DB.
