Fast Facts Friday: September 8, 2023

Catch up on the latest facts and read more via the links below in case you missed them this week!

1. Labour productivity of Canadian businesses fell 0.6% in the second quarter of 2023, extending the string of declines observed since the second quarter of 2022. – The Daily — Labour productivity, hourly compensation and unit labour cost, second quarter 2023
2. In July 2023, Canada's merchandise imports decreased 5.4%, while exports were up 0.7%. – The Daily — Canadian international merchandise trade, July 2023
3. In 2021, 74% of older adults aged 55 and older living in private dwellings in Canada rated their dwelling satisfaction as 8 or higher on a 0-to-10 scale. - The Daily — Study: Dwelling satisfaction among older adults: Dwelling characteristics and their influence on satisfaction
4. The total monthly value of building permits in Canada declined 1.5% in July 2023 to $11.7 billion despite a monthly gain of 5.4% in the residential sector. - The Daily — Building permits, July 2023
5. The total book value of outstanding Canadian debt securities reached $5,612.0 billion at the end of the second quarter, up $50.6 billion from the previous quarter. - The Daily — Securities statistics, second quarter 2023
6. The Farm Product Price Index declined 10.7% in June compared with June 2022. - The Daily — Farm Product Price Index, June 2023
7. Employment rose by 40,000 (+0.2%) in August. - The Daily — Labour Force Survey, August 2023
8. Canadian industries operated at 81.4% of their production capacity in the second quarter, down slightly from 81.8% in the first quarter. - The Daily — Industrial capacity utilization rates, second quarter 2023
9. Retail sales totalled $71.2 billion in June, down 0.4% from the same month one year earlier. - The Daily — Retail Commodity Survey, June 2023