Construction sector adds workers in September

Overall payroll employment increases and decreases, by sector. (Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (2612), table 14-10-0220-01.)

There were an additional 22,100 employees in Canada’s workforce in September, including 1,900 in the construction sector, according to Statistics Canada’s latest Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. The increase followed a decline of 16,500 in August, and a month with little change in July.

Meanwhile, job vacancies declined by 40,700, or roughly six per cent, in September, coming in at to 632,200 as the steady downward trend from the peak of just over 1 million reached in May 2022 continued.

The largest monthly increases in payroll employment were recorded in educational services, which gained 17,800 people, healthcare and social assistance, up 16,600, public administration, which gained 7,200 and construction, which saw an additional 1,900 positions filled.

The uptick in construction followed a considerable decline that was posted in August. That month saw a drop of more than 13,000 employees in the sector. The September increase was concentrated in construction of buildings, up 1,600, and heavy and civil engineering construction, which gained by 1,400. Those increases were tempered by an 1,100 position drop in specialty trade contractors.

In September, the number of unfilled positions decreased by 10,800 in the construction sector, a drop of 17.3 per cent. The job vacancy rate in the sector was 4.2 per cent in September, down from five per cent in June, July and August. This drop since June reflects lower job vacancies, as payroll employment showed little change over the period.

There were 1,166,900 people employed in Canada’s construction sector in September, a rise of almost 35,000 from September of 2022.

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