Public sector employment

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Public sector employment on a seasonally adjusted basis was 3.6 million in the first quarter, up 0.3% from the fourth quarter of 2010.

The increase was concentrated mainly in health and social services institutions (+0.5%). Employment has been growing steadily in this sector since the first quarter of 2005. Employment also rose in local general government (+0.4%).

Employment in federal general government fell 0.2% in the first quarter. The number of employees in this sector has changed little since the first quarter of 2010, following a decade of growth.

Employment in universities and colleges slipped 0.1%, although it has been on an upward trend since the first quarter of 2001.

Public sector employees represented 10.6% of the total Canadian population in the first quarter, unchanged during the last year. This proportion had been rising slowly since the first quarter of 2001 when it was 9.7%.

The three levels of general government (federal, provincial and territorial, and local) accounted for 38.2% of total public sector employment in the first quarter. Educational institutions represented 29.5%, followed by health and social service institutions (23.5%) and government business enterprises (8.7%).

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 government business enterprises. Each level of government 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 includes universities and colleges as well as health and social service institutions. Local government includes school boards. Government business enterprises are institutional units controlled by government; they operate on an autonomous basis as commercial corporations in the marketplace.

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.