StatsCan Releases 2002 Engineering Industry Numbers

The engineering services industry showed modest growth in 2002, according to a recently released Statistics Canada annual survey. According to the report, the industry generated $10.87 billion in operating revenues in 2002, up 4.0 per cent from 2001, and accounting for 0.5 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product. Operating profit margins improved slightly to 10.9 per cent, a difference of 0.2 per cent from the previous year.

The report noted that although the American and European market conditions dropped a combined 8.9 per cent, a surge of Canadian exports to Africa and other regions offset the potential loss. In fact, 57 per cent of Canadian firms’ foreign fee income was generated from countries other than the U.S. This places our engineering industry high above the average exports for the services sector. Further, the operating profits listed in the survey do not include revenues earned by foreign subsidiaries of Canadian firms.

Although the Canadian engineering industry’s operating revenues grew, employment was down more than 3,000 workers to a total of approximately 77,000 people in the workforce. Four out of five workers were full-time employees, and professional engineers made up just over 33 per cent of the work force.

The Albertan engineering sector was strong, with revenues rising 13.8 per cent. Alberta replaces Quebec as the province with the second-largest share of the total Canadian revenue in the engineering services industry. Ontario’s growth was only 0.7 per cent but the province accounts for 35 per cent of the industry in Canada, giving it the largest share.

For more statistical information on the engineering services industry in Canada, please visit http://www.statcan.ca.