Construction employment jumps after two months of decline

OTTAWA—Labour demands in Canada’s construction industry bounced back in June after two months of decline.

Employers added 27,000 workers to payroll last month, according to Statistics Canada, largely offsetting 60 days of losses that saw the industry shed approximately 32,000 jobs. Ontario accounted for the lion’s share of the new jobs, adding 18,500 new positions. The sector in British Columbia, meanwhile, shed 1,200 jobs.

The total number of workers employed in the construction industry increased to approximately 1.447 million in June, up from 1.420 million in May. That figure remains just shy of the year’s high-water mark of 1.452 million set in March.

Construction continues to show strong year-over-year growth, with 43,600 more Canadians are employed in the industry than in the same month last year—a figure that translates to 3.1 per cent growth.

The construction sector’s strong June performance fuelled an increase in Canada’s overall labour market. Employers across the country added 32,000 jobs in June after two months of little change. Despite the new positions, Canada’s unemployment rate inched up 0.2 per cent from a month earlier as more people began looking for work.