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Public sector employment
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Public sector employment grew in the third quarter of 2007 compared with the same period in 2006, continuing an upward trend seen since the year 2000.
Public sector employment—comprising all levels of general government, universities, colleges, school boards, health and social service institutions and government business enterprises—stood at 3.05 million, or 2.1% more than the 2.99 million reported in the third quarter of 2006.
The major contributors to this growth were health and social services institutions, which saw an increase of 27,100 employees compared with the same period in 2006. Educational institutions also saw growth, registering an increase of 15,000 employees. In addition, there were 7,200 more employees working in the provincial and territorial general governments.
Despite a strike in the city of Vancouver, overall employment at the local government level rose by 11,800.
Employment in the federal general government rose, but only slightly.
Public sector employment as a proportion of the total employed labour force has remained relatively constant since 2000. In the third quarter of 2007 this proportion was 17.8%, just slightly lower than the third quarter of 2006, when it was 17.9%.
Regarding the distribution of employees, the three levels of general government (federal, provincial/territorial and local) accounted for 38.2% of total public sector employment, followed by health and social service institutions at 26.7%. Educational institutions accounted for 26.4%, and government business enterprises at 8.7%.
| Public sector employment1 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second quarter 2006 | Third quarter 2006 | Second quarter 2007 | Third quarter 2007 | |||||
| thousands | ||||||||
| Public Sector | 3,221 | 2,992 | 3,258 | 3,054 | ||||
| General Government | 1,145 | 1,148 | 1,148 | 1,168 | ||||
| Federal | 405 | 386 | 390 | 387 | ||||
| Provincial and territorial | 354 | 362 | 361 | 369 | ||||
| Local | 386 | 400 | 397 | 412 | ||||
| Educational institutions | 1,030 | 790 | 1,046 | 805 | ||||
| Universities and colleges2 | 339 | 307 | 343 | 315 | ||||
| School boards | 692 | 482 | 704 | 489 | ||||
| Health and social services institutions | 781 | 789 | 799 | 816 | ||||
| Government business enterprises | 265 | 265 | 265 | 265 | ||||
| ||||||||
Public sector wages and salaries rose by 2.5% in the third quarter of 2007 compared with the same quarter of 2006.
Estimates of public sector employment and aggregate public sector wages and salaries for the third quarter of 2007 are now available. The data for the first and second quarters have been revised.
A data table on public sector employment is also available online in the Summary tables module of our website.
Note: The public sector includes all economic entities controlled by government. It is comprised of four major components, as follows: federal government (ministries, departments, agencies and non-autonomous funds, and autonomous funds and organizations); provincial and territorial government (ministries, departments, agencies and non-autonomous funds, autonomous funds and organizations, universities and colleges, and health and social service institutions); local government (municipalities and non-autonomous funds, autonomous funds and organizations, and school boards); and government business enterprises (at the federal, provincial/territorial and local levels).
Available on CANSIM: tables 183-0002 and 183-0004.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 1713.
For a more detailed description of how public sector employment is defined and reconciled with other information sources please refer to the document entitled Reconciliation of Public Sector Employment Estimates from Multiple Information Sources at the link 1713.
For more information or to order data, contact Client Services (613-951-0767; pid-dipinfo@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Alain Baril (613-951-4131; alain.baril@statcan.gc.ca), Public Institutions Division.
