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Public sector employment
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Public sector employment reached nearly 3.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2007, a gain of 2.5%, or 81,000, from the same quarter in 2006. It has been steadily increasing since 2000 after years of decline throughout the 1990s.
Public sector employment comprises all levels of general government, universities, colleges, school boards, health and social service institutions and government business enterprises.
The fourth-quarter increase was spread among all government sectors. The major contributors were educational institutions, with an increase of 29,000 employees, or 2.8%, over the fourth quarter of 2006. This growth was mainly concentrated in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta.
General government employment amounted to just over 1.1 million, a gain of 2.4%, or 27,000. All three levels of general government contributed to this increase. Since 2000, however, federal and local government employment growth has outpaced that of the provincial and territorial governments.
Strong growth in the provincial administrations of Alberta and British Columbia was partly offset by a decrease in Quebec and New Brunswick.
Employment in health and social service institutions increased by 25,000, or 3.2%. Alberta accounted for over one-quarter of this growth.
Total public sector wages and salaries in the fourth quarter of 2007 were 3.3% higher than they were a year earlier.
Note: The public sector includes all economic entities controlled by government. It is comprised of four major components: 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 by clicking on survey number 1713.
A data table on public sector employment is also available in the Summary Tables module of our website.
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.ca), Public Institutions Division.
Table(s).
