Construction employment nudges up
By Adam Freill
Construction LabourFebruary payroll employment in Canada’s construction industry came in slightly ahead of January, as well as February of 2023.
Payroll employment by sector in February. (Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (2612), table 14-10-0220-01.)
Canada’s employment figures slipped slightly in February, but the drop was not reflected in the construction sector, reports Statistics Canada in the latest Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. Overall payroll employment decreased by 17,700, or 0.1 per cent, across the consolidated sectors in February, following an increase of 35,700 in January. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was up by 154,700 positions, or just shy of one per cent. Meanwhile, job vacancies in the country increased to 656,700, with 21,800 more available positions from January.
Lower employment figures were recorded in seven out of 20 sectors, led by accommodation and food services, manufacturing and retail trade, with gains being led by the public administration, finance and insurance, and healthcare and social assistance segments. Construction found itself just above even, adding 1,662 positions.
In February, based on the seasonally adjusted figures compiled by Statistics Canada, there were roughly 1.7 million workers in Canada’s construction sector, a rise of roughly 4,400 from the same month last year. Seasonally adjusted job vacancies sat at 59,000 for the month, and the vacancy rate came in at 4.8 per cent.
