Construction industry in Canada - statistics & facts

The construction industry plays a very important role in the economy of Canada. For instance, the development of new houses and commercial buildings is essential to satisfy the demand of a still growing urban population. But non-building construction should not be overseen either as it is vital to maintaining a thriving economy. In 2022, there were 252 large infrastructure projects under development valued at over 25 million U.S. dollars. The value of construction projects has also increased, as is evident by the skyscrapers built over the last decade in major Canadian cities. In general, the construction industry is an important economic driver for Canada as well as an indicator of the strength of the nation’s economy.

Labor shortage in Canada

Employment in construction has grown significantly in the past years with the overall expansion of industry demand. However, the lack of available skilled workers is becoming more of a concern due to the aging demographic of those employed in the industry. The number of job vacancies in construction was over twice higher in 2022 than in 2020, reaching a peak of nearly 95,000 job openings. Still, there have been significant discrepancies between different roles. Trade workers, as well as helpers and laborers, were the construction occupations with the highest numbers of vacancies.

The construction sector in the Canadian provinces

Regional differences are also apparent in the construction industry, as the markets in Alberta and Saskatchewan have traditionally been fueled by their abundance of natural resources. Meanwhile, employment conditions also vary a lot, with differences of up to 600 Canadian dollars in the weekly earnings of construction workers in some provinces. Some of the territories with smaller populations, such as the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon, were well above the average. Meanwhile, along with salary, the prices of land, construction materials, and equipment are also subject to strong variation. Because of that, along with other factors, not all cities have seen similar construction costs increases in the past years. Toronto has consistently had one of the highest growth rates of construction prices, which were much higher than those in Winnipeg, Calgary, or even Vancouver.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jun 2, 2023

Key insights

GDP of the Canadian construction industry
151.1bn CAD
Largest construction contractor in Canada
PCL Construction
Number of new housing starts in Ontario
83,480
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Gross domestic product at basic prices for the construction industry in Canada from 1997 to 2022 (in billion Canadian dollars)

Construction

GDP at basic prices of the construction industry in Canada 1997-2022

Construction costs of buildings in British Columbia, Canada in 2022 by building type (in Canadian dollars per square meter)

Building Construction

British Columbia building construction costs 2022, by type

Leading contractors based on revenue in Canada from 2021 to 2022 (in million Canadian dollars)

Construction

Canada's top contractors based on revenue 2021-2022

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