Public sector employees in Canada
Canada: Public sector employees was 4,549 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Public sector employees in Canada, 1996–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, public sector employees in Canada stood at 4,549. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 29.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public sector employees in Canada peaked at 4,549 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2,651, in 1998.
That places Canada 9th out of 64 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Public sector employees in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 2,695 | — |
| 1997 | 2,651 | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 2,651 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 2,704 | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 2,798 | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 2,846 | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 2,900 | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 2,943 | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 3,038 | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 3,113 | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 3,139 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 3,209 | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 3,295 | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 3,347 | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 3,393 | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 3,403 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 3,406 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 3,452 | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 3,457 | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 3,515 | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 3,514 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 3,581 | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 3,655 | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 3,734 | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 3,730 | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 4,029 | +8.0% |
| 2022 | 4,204 | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 4,303 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 4,465 | +3.8% |
| 2025 | 4,549 | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2,675 | 2,651 | 2,704 | 4 |
| 2000s | 3,063 | 2,798 | 3,347 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,511 | 3,393 | 3,734 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,213 | 3,730 | 4,549 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More work & labour data for Canada
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.3334 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.3231 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6552 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 39,234 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,715 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 26,798 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 26,814 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 53,612 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public sector employees in Canada?
- Public sector employees in Canada was 4,549 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest public sector employees recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 4,549 in 2025.
- What is the lowest public sector employees recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,651 in 1998.
- How does Canada rank for public sector employees?
- Canada ranks 9th out of 64 countries with data for 2025.
- Is public sector employees rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Public sector employees. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. Employees are all those workers who hold paid employment jobs, which are those where the incumbents hold employment contracts which give them a basic remuneration not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work. Type of job contract refers to permanent versus temporary (i.e. short-term or casual) contracts. For more information, refer to the Worker and Sector Profiles (PROF) database description.