Payroll employment by industry sector in January. (Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (2612), table 14-10-0220-01.)
Payroll employment in construction employment dropped significantly this past January, falling by 8,000 positions compared to December, reports Statistics Canada in its latest Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. The 0.7 per cent decline eroded a one per cent increase that saw the sector gain 11,700 between September and December of last year. Despite the contraction, on a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in the sector was up by 11,900 positions in January.
Biggest gainers compared to January of 2024 were specialty trade contractors, with 9,100 more workers, followed by non-residential building construction, which added 1,800, and residential building construction, which rose by 1,300 workers.
In the broader economy, the number of employees receiving pay and benefits from their employer rose by a tenth of a per cent, or 26,800, compared to December. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment increased by 198,900 positions this past January.
Job vacancies across all industries were little changed in January compared to December, but were down almost 21 per cent, with 136,700 fewer positions available in January. There were 526,200 job vacancies in January. The job vacancy rate was 2.9 per cent for the month, with 2.8 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in January.
According to the Statistics Canada report, adjusted for seasonality, there were 1,188,870 payroll employees in Canada’s construction sector, 40,770 job vacancies, and a job vacancy rate of 3.3 per cent.
