April 8, 2025
SUMMARY
Construction employment contracted -4.1% year-over-year (y/y) in March while the labour force fell at a slower rate of -1.6% y/y. The unemployment rate to rose to 9.5%, a level which was more typical (for March) in the years before 2019. Employment for women fell a sharp -16% y/y, whereas for men, it fell at a lesser -2% y/y.
EMPLOYMENT
March employment was down -4.1% y/y. In comparison, the year-over-year contraction in the labour force was lower (-1.6%). Employment also softened month-over-month, but the labour force increased slightly. This led to a jump in the unemployment rate from 7.5% in February to 9.5% in March. This is the highest construction unemployment rate for March since 2017, and similar to levels in 2018 and 2019. Ontario overall unemployment rate sat at 7.8% (0.5 percentage points higher than February, and 0.8 percentage points higher than March 2024). While not far off from what was typical pre-pandemic, this number may rise with the implementation of auto tariffs and rising uncertainty.
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY DEMOGRAPHICS
Women’s employment decreased a hefty -16% y/y (with the drop concentrated heavily in the 55+ age category), while men’s employment fell by -2% y/y (also primarily among workers aged 55+). On the other end, employment for youth (aged 15-24) increased 16.8% y/y (however the raw numbers were not enough to offset the decline in the older age groups).
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Ali Ahmad
Research Analyst
Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS)
180 Attwell Drive, Suite 360, Toronto, ON M9W 6A9
P 416.620.5210 ext. 222
aahmad@iciconstruction.com
