Public sector employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Canada
Canada: Public sector employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) was 4,549 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Public sector employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Canada, 1976–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, public sector employment (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Canada stood at 4,549. That is the highest value across all 50 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 employment (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Canada peaked at 4,549 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2,307, in 1976.
Canada ranks 10th of 89 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Public sector employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 2,307 | — |
| 1977 | 2,364 | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 2,393 | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 2,389 | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 2,464 | +3.2% |
| 1981 | 2,507 | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 2,490 | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 2,533 | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 2,542 | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 2,553 | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 2,602 | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 2,625 | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 2,680 | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 2,706 | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 2,753 | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 2,781 | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 2,815 | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 2,810 | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 2,793 | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 2,751 | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 2,695 | -2.0% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2,363 | 2,307 | 2,393 | 4 |
| 1980s | 2,570 | 2,464 | 2,706 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,740 | 2,651 | 2,815 | 10 |
| 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 employment (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Canada?
- Public sector employment (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Canada was 4,549 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest public sector employment (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 4,549 in 2025.
- What is the lowest public sector employment (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,307 in 1976.
- How does Canada rank for public sector employment (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
- Canada ranks 10th out of 89 countries with data for 2025.
- Is public sector employment (previous ilo definition - icls13) 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 employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). 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. The employed comprise all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were in one of the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). For more information, refer to the Worker and Sector Profiles (PROF) database description.