Aug. 16, 2023 – BuildForce Canada has analyzed the July findings from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey (LFS).
The survey found that national industry employment contracted marginally by 1.6 per cent between July 2022 and July 2023. The labour force gained 0.3 per cent over the same period. These factors combined raise the industry’s unemployment rate from 2.4 per cent in July 2022 to its current level of 4.3 per cent. BuildForce states that “this rise in unemployment is not a reflection of a looming crisis,” but rather is a return to a more balanced labour market.
The LFS also found that the number of women employed in the sector grew by 7.3 per cent from July 2022 to July 2023. Women now make up 14 per cent of the total construction sector, compared to 13 per cent a year ago.
BuildForce Canada analyzed data by province, finding employment across the provinces ranged from “highs of +13.8 per cent in Manitoba and +1.8 per cent in Alberta to lows of -9.8 per cent in British Columbia and -16.6 per cent in Nova Scotia.”
In July, the national construction labour force was 1.702 million workers or roughly 7.9 per cent of Canada’s total labour force.
Read more of the analysis here.
Leave a Reply