Construction gains workers again in July
Construction added 21,500 workers in July—the sixth consecutive month in which employment in the industry has risen.
Data from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey for July shows industry employment now 3.5 percent (or nearly 50,000 workers) above totals recorded in July 2020. Despite the gains, the industry’s workforce remains more than 63,000 below pre-pandemic levels recorded in July 2019.
Statistics Canada gathered data for its July Labour Force Survey during the week of July 11 to 17. At that time, several provinces had either entirely lifted their public-health restrictions (Alberta and Saskatchewan) or were in the process of doing so. All regions of Quebec, for example, moved into their lowest levels of restrictions, while Ontario reopened indoor dining and permitted recreational activities, with certain limitations, at the end of the survey week.
As a result, all-industry seasonally adjusted employment rose by 94,000 (+0.5 percent) in July, bringing employment to 246,000 (-1.3 percent) below February 2020 levels.
Employment growth was concentrated almost entirely in Ontario, while Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island also reported gains. All of the employment gains occurred in the private sector, where the number of employees rose by 123,000 (+1.0 percent). The number of employees in the public sector fell by 31,000 (-0.7 percent) in July, the first decline since April 2020. July employment gains were concentrated in full-time work (+83,000; +0.5 percent); the first increase since March 2021.
All the employment gains were in the services-producing sector (+93,000), with increases recorded in the accommodation and food services (+35,000), and finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+15,000) industries. Following losses in May and June, the number of people who worked in goods-producing industries was little changed in July.
Construction, meanwhile, reported slow progress in its return to pre-pandemic levels, a fact that could be influenced by the industry’s role as an essential service for much of the pandemic.
Saskatchewan reported the highest monthly employment gain at 6 percent, with Nova Scotia following at 5.5 percent. Most other provinces reported lower gains, with Prince Edward Island being the only province to report a drop in employment in July. Industry employment in Ontario and Quebec was virtually unchanged.
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia (+14.3 percent), Quebec (+10.2) and Newfoundland and Labrador (+10.1) reporting the greatest gains in employment compared with July 2020. At the other end of the spectrum, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and British Columbia reported year-over-year declines in employment of 22.1 percent, 5.4 percent and 2.7 percent respectively
Nova Scotia and Quebec are the only provinces to see employment exceed pre-COVID levels.
Featured image: Employment change (thousands) compared with February 2020. (Statistics Canada)