Public sector employment

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Public sector employment on a seasonally adjusted basis rose to 3,612,000 in the fourth quarter, up 3,000 from the third quarter.

Employment increased 0.7% in federal general government and by 0.6% in universities and colleges. These gains were partly offset by a 0.6% decrease in local general government.

Employment in the provincial general government edged down in the fourth quarter, continuing the downward trend that started in the first quarter of 2009.

Employment in the public sector accounted for 20.4% of total employment in Canada in the fourth quarter, unchanged from the two previous quarters.

On a year-over-year basis, public sector employment was 0.5% higher in the fourth quarter than it was in the fourth quarter of 2009. During this year-long period, total public sector wages and salaries rose 0.5%.

Note: The public sector includes all economic entities controlled by government, and comprises four major components: the three levels of government (federal, provincial and territorial and local) and 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; local government also includes school boards; and, the fourth component government business enterprises, which are institutional units controlled by government but that operate on an autonomous basis as commercial corporations in the marketplace. All data are seasonally adjusted with the exception of wages and salaries.

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; pssd-info-dssp@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.