Public sector employment

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Public sector employment reached 3.6 million in the first quarter of 2009, up by 74,000 or 2.1% over the same quarter in 2008. This rate of growth was slower than the annual increase of 3.2% for 2008 as a whole.

Public sector workers accounted for 19.7% of total employment in 2008, a proportion that has remained stable since 2001. Public sector employment has been increasing at a similar pace as total employment.

Between 2001 and 2008, more than half of the employment increase in the public sector occurred in Ontario, mostly in local government. Nationally, one out of every three public sector employees worked in Ontario. Alberta had the highest annual growth rate among all provinces, a 5% increase in both 2007 and 2008.

The ratio of public sector employees to the total population has grown from 98 for every 1,000 population in 2001 to 105 in 2008. The lowest ratios in 2008 were in British Columbia (90) and Alberta (91).

Between 2001 and 2008, the growth rate in employment in local general government has been almost twice as that in the federal general government. In contrast, there was little growth in the provincial and territorial general government employment.

Employment in educational institutions and in health and social service institutions rose by 2.1% and 2.2%, respectively between 2007 and 2008. In both sectors, the employment has increased at a steady pace since 2001.

Previously published data have been revised from 2001 to 2008.

Note: The public sector includes all economic entities controlled by government, and is comprised of four major components: the three levels of government (federal, provincial and territorial and local) each has a general government component comprising ministries, departments, agencies and non-autonomous funds, autonomous funds and organizations, and non-autonomous pension plans. Provincial and territorial government also includes universities and colleges, and health and social service institutions, and local government also includes school boards. The fourth component is government business enterprises which are institutional units controlled by government, but that operate as commercial corporations in the marketplace.

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 2005 to 2008.

Employment data for provincial education, health and social services, local government and government business enterprises are provided by the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH). SEPH underwent annual revisions to its 2001 to 2008 data series. The impact on public sector employment estimates was mainly in local general government. Refer to the March 31, 2009, edition of the Daily for more details on the SEPH revisions.

Starting in 2005, health and social service institutions are embedded in provincial general government in Prince Edward Island.

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 Sector Statistics Division.