Public sector employment

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Public sector employment continues to grow at a steady pace.

In 2007, public sector employment grew 1.9% from the previous year to reach an average of 3.2 million. After years of decline throughout the 1990s due to government cutbacks, public sector employment has been increasing at a similar pace to the overall economy since 2000.

This is reflected in the proportion of public sector workers among the total employed in the labour force, which has remained stable at about 18% since 2000, well below the peak of 23% in 1992.

Since 2000, general government employment has increased on average 1.6% per year. The federal and local general governments represented most of this growth, increasing at twice the rate as that of the provincial and territorial governments.

The Newfoundland and Labrador provincial general government grew the most in 2007 from a year earlier, with an employment increase of 8.4%, followed by British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Strong economic growth as a result of the boom in the resource sectors of these provinces has likely increased demand for services. Overall, provincial general government employment growth was partially offset by small decreases in Quebec and New Brunswick.

Annual employment growth in educational institutions (universities, colleges and school boards) has remained constant at about 2.0% for the past three years. The annual employment growth rate in health and social service institutions rose from 1.8% to 2.6% in 2007. In both educational and health and social services institutions, Alberta accounted for one-quarter of this growth in 2007.

On a quarterly basis, preliminary data for the first three months of 2008 indicate that an average of 3.3 million employees worked in the public sector, up 2.4% from the first quarter of 2007. Total public sector wages and salaries rose 3.7% during the same period.

Previously published estimates have been revised from 2003 to 2007.

Note: The public sector includes all economic entities controlled by government, and is comprised of four major components: federal government (general government, which includes ministries, departments, agencies and non-autonomous funds, autonomous funds and organizations, as well as federal non-autonomous pension plans); provincial and territorial government (general government, which includes ministries, departments, agencies and non-autonomous funds, autonomous funds and organizations, as well as universities and colleges, health and social service institutions, and provincial non-autonomous pension plans); local government (general government, which includes municipalities and non-autonomous funds, autonomous funds and organizations, as well as school boards); and government business enterprises (at the federal, provincial/territorial and local levels).

A variety of data sources are used to produce the public sector estimates (refer to Definitions, data sources and methods below). The federal and provincial government employment data, provided mainly by the respective government central pay services, were subject to revision for the years 2003 to 2007.

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, refer to the document entitled Reconciliation of Public Sector Employment Estimates from Multiple Information Sources by clicking on survey number 1713.

Available on CANSIM: tables 183-0021 and 183-0022.

Data tables on public sector employment are also available in the National economic accounts module of our website.

For more information or to order data, contact Client Services (613-951-0767; fe-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.

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