Gross domestic product by industry, November 2015
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Released: 2016-01-29
November 2015
0.3% 
(monthly change)
Real gross domestic product rose 0.3% in November, primarily as a result of increases in wholesale and retail trade, oil and gas extraction as well as manufacturing. The gain in November follows a 0.5% decline in September and no growth in October.
The output of service-producing industries increased 0.2%, mainly as a result of increases in wholesale and retail trade. Transportation and warehousing services also increased. In contrast, the finance and insurance, public (education, health and public administration combined) and arts, entertainment and recreation sectors were down.
The output of goods-producing industries rose 0.4% in November, mainly attributable to increases in manufacturing and mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction. Utilities as well as the agriculture and forestry sector increased, while construction was unchanged.
Chart 1
Real gross domestic product grows in November
Wholesale and retail trade expand
After contracting for four consecutive months, wholesale trade expanded 1.3% in November. Building materials and supplies, miscellaneous (which includes agricultural supplies), motor vehicle and parts as well as personal and household goods wholesaling all rose. In contrast, the wholesaling of machinery, equipment and supplies as well as petroleum products were down.
Chart 2
Wholesale trade expands in November
Retail trade (+1.2%) also expanded in November, after declining 0.2% in October, as almost all trade groups posted growth. There were notable increases at motor vehicle and parts dealers, food and beverage stores, clothing and clothing accessories stores as well as electronics and appliance stores. Conversely, retailing activity decreased at gasoline stations.
Manufacturing output rises
After falling for two consecutive months, manufacturing output rose 0.4% in November.
Durable-goods manufacturing grew 0.8% in November, following three consecutive monthly declines. Gains were notable in miscellaneous manufacturing, wood products manufacturing, fabricated metal products manufacturing and electrical equipment manufacturing. In contrast, machinery manufacturing was down.
Non-durable goods manufacturing edged down 0.1% in November, a third consecutive monthly decrease. There were notable declines in chemical, beverage and tobacco and petroleum and coal products manufacturing. Conversely, food manufacturing increased.
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction increases
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction increased 0.6% in November, following a 0.2% gain in October and a 4.7% decline in September.
Oil and gas extraction grew 2.1% in November. Non-conventional oil production was up 3.4% after increasing 4.3% in October. These gains followed a 10.6% decline in September caused by production difficulties and maintenance shutdowns. Conventional oil and gas production was up 1.0% in November, as a result of increases in oil extraction.
Mining and quarrying (excluding oil and gas extraction) was down 2.3% in November, mainly as a result of declines in metal ore and potash mining.
Support activities for mining and oil and gas extraction decreased 2.9% in November, as a result of declines in both rigging and drilling services.
The finance and insurance sector contracts again
The finance and insurance sector contracted for a fourth consecutive month, down 0.3% in November as a result of declines in financial investment and insurance services. In contrast, banking services rose.
The public sector edges down
The public sector (education, health and public administration combined) edged down 0.1% in November. Public administration and health care services declined, while educational services edged up.
Construction is unchanged
Construction was unchanged in November. Declines in non-residential and residential building construction offset gains in engineering and repair construction.
Following a 2.6% increase in October, the output of real estate agents and brokers rose 2.1% in November.
Other industries
Transportation and warehousing services increased 0.8% in November, mainly because of growth in rail transportation services and support activities for transportation.
Utilities rose 1.0% in November as a result of increases in electricity generation, transmission and distribution and, to a lesser extent, natural gas distribution.
The arts, entertainment and recreation sector declined 1.2%, as spectator sports and related industries returned to more normal levels following increased activity from June to October.
Chart 3
Main industrial sectors' contribution to the percent change in gross domestic product in November
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 supply and use tables up to the latest supply and use tables year (2012).
For the period starting with January 2013, the data are derived by chaining a fixed-weight Laspeyres volume index to the prior period. The fixed weights are 2012 industry prices.
This approach makes the monthly GDP by industry data more comparable with 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.
For more information on GDP, see the video "What is Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?"
Revisions
With this release of monthly GDP by industry, revisions have been made back to January 2015.
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.
Real-time CANSIM tables
Real-time CANSIM table 379-8031 will be updated on February 5. For more information, consult Real-time CANSIM tables.
Next release
Data on GDP by industry for December 2015 will be released on March 1, 2016.
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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