Gross domestic product by industry, August 2015
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Released: 2015-10-30
August 2015
0.1% 
(monthly change)
Real gross domestic product edged up 0.1% in August, following increases of 0.4% in June and 0.3% in July. The growth in August was mainly a result of gains in manufacturing, mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction and retail trade.
The output of goods-producing industries grew 0.3% in August, after rising 0.8% in June and 0.7% in July. Manufacturing as well as mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction were major contributors to the increase in August. Utilities and the agriculture and forestry sector posted modest gains while construction was unchanged.
The output of service-producing industries edged up 0.1% in August, after growing 0.3% in June and edging up 0.1% in July. There were gains in retail trade, transportation and warehousing services as well as professional services. There were notable declines in wholesale trade and the finance and insurance sector. The public sector (education, health and public administration combined) was unchanged in August.
Chart 1
Real gross domestic product edges up in August
Manufacturing output grows further
Manufacturing output advanced 0.4% in August, following gains of 0.6% in June and July.
Non-durable goods manufacturing rose 0.6% in August, after edging down 0.1% in July. Growth was notable in chemical manufacturing and, to a lesser extent, in the manufacturing of petroleum and coal products as well as paper. In contrast, declines were posted in manufacturing of plastic and rubber products, beverage and tobacco products as well as printing and related support activities.
Durable-goods manufacturing grew 0.3% in August, after rising 1.1% in July. The manufacturing of wood products, computer and electronic products as well as of primary metals increased in August. In contrast, there were declines in transportation equipment manufacturing and fabricated metal products manufacturing.
Chart 2
Manufacturing continues to grow in August
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction continues to expand
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction rose 0.4% in August, following gains of 2.6% in June and 2.4% in July.
After rising 2.6% in June and 3.9% in July, oil and gas extraction increased 0.3% in August, as a result of gains in both conventional and non-conventional oil extraction.
Support activities for mining and oil and gas extraction rose 2.9% in August, following declines in June and July.
Mining and quarrying (excluding oil and gas extraction) edged down 0.1% in August, after rising 3.7% in June and declining 0.5% in July. The declines in coal and copper, nickel, lead and zinc ore mining in August more than offset an increase in potash mining.
Retail trade rises while wholesale trade falls again
Retail trade rose 0.6% in August, after increasing 0.3% in July. Food and beverage stores, motor vehicle and parts dealers as well as furniture and home furnishings stores posted growth in August. Conversely, activities at general merchandise stores and miscellaneous store retailers retreated.
Following a 0.6% decline in July, wholesale trade contracted 0.5% in August, primarily as a result of a decline in machinery, equipment and supplies. The wholesaling of food, beverage and tobacco as well as motor vehicles and parts was also down. In contrast, miscellaneous wholesaling (which includes agricultural supplies) recorded notable growth.
The finance and insurance sector falls
After rising in June and July, the finance and insurance sector fell 0.2% in August. Declines in financial investment services and in banking outweighed the gain in insurance services.
The arts and entertainment sector decreases
The arts and entertainment sector decreased 0.9% in August, following a 6.9% gain in June and a 2.0% decline in July. The increase in June was largely attributable to the FIFA Women's Soccer World Cup hosted by Canada. Levels in the sector in July and August remained high as a result of high attendance at other sporting events, such as the Pan-American Games.
Construction is unchanged
Construction was unchanged in August. Decreases in non-residential building and repair construction were offset by an increase in residential building construction. Engineering construction was unchanged.
The output of real estate agents and brokers increased 0.2% in August, after two consecutive months of decline.
Other industries
Transportation and warehousing services grew 0.6% in August, mainly as a result of gains in pipeline transportation and trucking services.
After declining for five consecutive months, utilities increased 0.8% in August. Electricity generation, transmission and distribution as well as natural gas distribution were both up.
The public sector (education, health and public administration combined) was unchanged in August. Health care and social services edged up while public administration edged down.
Chart 3
Main industrial sectors' contribution to the percent change in gross domestic product in August
Note to readers
The monthly gross domestic product (GDP) by industry data at basic prices are chained volume estimates with 2007 as the reference year. This means that the data for each industry and each aggregate are obtained from a chained volume index multiplied by the industry's value added in 2007. The monthly data are benchmarked to annually chained Fisher volume indexes of GDP obtained from the constant-price input-output tables up to the latest input-output tables year (2011).
For the period starting with January 2012, the data are derived by chaining a fixed-weight Laspeyres volume index to the prior period. The fixed weights are 2011 industry prices.
This approach makes the monthly GDP by industry data more comparable with the expenditure-based GDP data, chained quarterly.
All data in this release are seasonally adjusted. For information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
Revisions
With this release of monthly GDP by industry, revisions have been made back to January 2014.
Each month, newly available administrative and survey data across various industries in the economy are integrated and result in statistical revisions. Updated and revised administrative data (including taxation statistics), new information provided by respondents to industry surveys, and standard changes to seasonal adjustment calculations are incorporated with each release.
For more information about monthly national GDP by industry, see the System of macroeconomic accounts module on our website.
Next release
Data on GDP by industry for September will be released on December 1.
Real-time CANSIM tables
Real-time CANSIM table 379-8031 will be updated on November 4. For more information, consult Real-time CANSIM tables.
Contact information
For more information, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca).
To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Allan Tomas (613-790-6570), Industry Accounts Division.
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