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Gross domestic product by industry, April 2014

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Released: 2014-06-30

Real gross domestic product grew 0.1% in April, the same pace as in March.

The output of service industries increased 0.3% in April, led by wholesale and retail trade. Notable increases were also recorded in accommodation and food services as well as professional services. The public sector (education, health and public administration combined) edged up. The finance and insurance sector was unchanged in April.

The output of goods-producing industries fell 0.3% as a result of declines in all major sub-sectors except manufacturing. There were notable declines in mining and oil and gas extraction, construction and utilities, while manufacturing was up.

Chart 1  Chart 1: Real gross domestic product grows in April - Description and data table
Real gross domestic product grows in April

Chart 1: Real gross domestic product grows in April - Description and data table

Wholesale and retail trade rise

Wholesale trade rose 1.3% in April, led by increases in wholesaling of machinery, equipment and supplies as well as building materials and supplies. In contrast, the wholesaling of petroleum products and of food, beverage and tobacco products declined.

Chart 2  Chart 2: Wholesale trade rises in April - Description and data table
Wholesale trade rises in April

Chart 2: Wholesale trade rises in April - Description and data table

Retail trade grew 0.8% in April, following a 0.1% decline in March. Notable gains were recorded at motor vehicles and parts dealers, food and beverage stores, clothing and clothing accessories stores as well as at general merchandise stores (which include department stores).

Mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction declines

After increasing for three consecutive months, mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction declined 0.6% in April. Oil and gas extraction decreased 0.8% as a result of declines in both oil and natural gas production. Maintenance activities at some petroleum facilities affected production in April.

Mining and quarrying (excluding oil and gas extraction) fell 1.3%, mainly as a result of declines in metal ore and coal mining, which more than offset gains in non-metallic mineral mining.

In contrast, support activities for mining and oil and gas extraction increased 1.9% in April, as gains in rigging services outweighed declines in drilling services.

Construction down

Construction declined 0.6% in April, with all major components (residential and non-residential building, engineering and repair work) decreasing. Declines were most notable in residential building and repair construction.

The output of real estate agents and brokers increased 3.0% in April, up for a third consecutive month, as activity in the home resale market rose.

Manufacturing output increases

Manufacturing output rose 0.2% in April, a fourth consecutive monthly increase. Durable-goods manufacturing was up 0.4%, mainly as a result of gains in fabricated metal products, computer and electronics products as well as machinery. In contrast, primary metal and non-metallic mineral products manufacturing declined.

Non-durable goods manufacturing was unchanged in April. The increase in manufacturing of plastic and rubber products was offset by declines in manufacturing of food and chemical products.

Other industries

Utilities decreased 1.0% in April as a result of lower demand for electricity. This follows a 1.0% increase in March. Natural gas distribution was up in April.

The finance and insurance sector was unchanged. A decrease in insurance services offset gains in banking and financial investment services.

Chart 3  Chart 3: Main industrial sectors' contribution to the percent change in gross domestic product, April 2014 - Description and data table
Main industrial sectors' contribution to the percent change in gross domestic product, April 2014

Chart 3: Main industrial sectors' contribution to the percent change in gross domestic product, April 2014 - Description and data table

  Note to readers

The monthly gross domestic product (GDP) by industry data at basic prices are chained volume estimates with 2007 as the reference year. This means that the data for each industry and each aggregate are obtained from a chained volume index multiplied by the industry's value added in 2007. The monthly data are benchmarked to annually chained Fisher volume indexes of GDP obtained from the constant-price input-output tables up to the latest input-output tables year (2010).

For the period starting with January 2011, the data are derived by chaining a fixed-weight Laspeyres volume index to the prior period. The fixed weights are 2010 industry prices.

This approach makes the monthly GDP by industry data more comparable with the expenditure-based GDP data, chained quarterly.

All data in this release are seasonally adjusted. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.

Revisions

With this release of monthly GDP by industry, revisions have been made back to January 2013.

For more information about monthly national GDP by industry, see the System of macroeconomic accounts module on our website.

Data on gross domestic product by industry for May will be released on July 31.

Contact information

For more information, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca).

To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Allan Tomas (613-951-9277), Industry Accounts Division.

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