Architectural, Engineering and Related Services Price Index, first quarter 2019
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Released: 2019-06-07
First quarter 2019
1.2% 
(quarterly change)
First quarter 2019
0.5%
(quarterly change)
First quarter 2019
1.2%
(quarterly change)
First quarter 2019
1.1%
(quarterly change)
The Architectural, Engineering and Related Services Price Index (AESPI) increased 1.2% in the first quarter, following no change in the previous quarter. Higher prices were observed in all regions, with respondents citing rising input costs due to salary changes as a reason for the increases.
Chart 1
Architectural, Engineering and Related Services Price Index
Prices for engineering services up in all regions
Prices for engineering services, the largest component of the AESPI, rose 1.2% in the first quarter, after remaining unchanged in the previous quarter. British Columbia and territories (+1.7%) and Quebec (+1.5%) led the increases in this quarter. Salary changes, changes in market demand, and a more robust competitive environment were reported as the main reasons for higher prices.
Higher prices for architectural and landscape architectural services
During the first quarter, prices for architectural and landscape architectural services rose 0.5% in Canada, following a 0.3% increase in the previous quarter. Increases were observed in three of the five regions, led by Ontario (+0.8%). Prices in Quebec and the Atlantic Region remained unchanged this quarter.
Ontario and Prairies lead increases in prices for surveying and mapping services
At the national level, prices for surveying and mapping services increased 1.1% in the first quarter, after declining by 0.2% in the previous quarter. Ontario reported the largest increase (+1.3%), followed by the Prairie Region (+1.2%). In comparison, there was no change in prices in Quebec.
Chart 2
Architectural, Engineering and Related Services Price Index, percent change by region
Year-over-year change
Year over year, the AESPI rose 2.0% as a result of higher prices for engineering services (+2.0%), architectural and landscape architectural services (+1.8%) and surveying and mapping services (+1.2%).
Note to readers
The Architectural, Engineering and Related Services Price Index (AESPI) is a quarterly series that measures changes over time in the prices of architectural, engineering and surveying and mapping services.
With the release of first quarter 2019 data, the base year of the AESPI has been updated to 2018=100. In addition, the geographical coverage of the AESPI has been expanded to include regional level indexes. Index aggregations are available by service for Canada and the geographic regions.
The historical continuity of the AESPI has been maintained, wherever possible, by linking the current AESPI in table 18-10-0164-01 with comparable historical index series published in archived data table 18-10-0045-01.
The indexes are not seasonally adjusted.
Products
A video entitled "Producer Price Indexes" is available on the Statistics Canada Training Institute webpage. It provides an introduction to Statistics Canada's Producer Price Indexes: what they are, how they are made and what they are used for.
A Historical Timeline of Canadian Producer Price Statistics
The publication "A Historical Timeline of Canadian Producer Price Statistics," which is part of the Prices Analytical Series (62F0014M), was created to showcase the key milestones in the history of Canadian producer price statistics. This historical timeline contains answers to questions such as: Who collected Canada's first statistics? What do Canadian producer price indexes measure?
Infographic: Producer Price Indexes at a Glance
The infographic "Producer Price Indexes at a Glance," which is part of Statistics Canada — Infographics (11-627-M), demonstrates how producer price indexes for goods and services are calculated and why they are important for the Canadian economy.
Contact information
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