The Daily
|
 In the news  Indicators  Releases by subject
 Special interest  Release schedule  Information

Gross domestic product by industry, May 2013

Warning View the most recent version.

Archived Content

Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.

Released: 2013-07-31

Real gross domestic product grew 0.2% in May, a fifth consecutive monthly increase.

Service industries, particularly retail and wholesale trade, led the growth in May. The output of service industries expanded 0.5% in May, after increasing 0.4% in April. Increases were also recorded in May in the public sector (education, health and public administration combined), accommodation and food services, professional services and real estate services. The transportation and warehousing sector declined.

Goods production fell 0.3% in May, mainly as a result of a notable decrease in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction. Declines were also recorded in utilities, while manufacturing and the agriculture and forestry sector increased. Construction was unchanged in May.

Chart 1  Chart 1: Real gross domestic product grows in May - Description and data table
Real gross domestic product grows in May

Chart 1: Real gross domestic product grows in May - Description and data table

Retail and wholesale trade increase

Retail trade was up 1.8% in May, a third consecutive monthly advance. Increases in activity were broad-based, with a notable gain at motor vehicles and parts dealers and, to a lesser extent, at building materials and garden equipment and supplies stores.

Chart 2  Chart 2: Retail trade rises in May  - Description and data table
Retail trade rises in May

Chart 2: Retail trade rises in May  - Description and data table

Wholesale trade grew 1.4% in May, after increasing 1.0% in April. Increased activity by miscellaneous wholesalers, which includes wholesaling of agricultural supplies, was the main contributor to the May gain. On the other hand, petroleum product wholesaling declined.

Mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction contracts

Mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction contracted 1.7% in May, after declining 1.6% in April.

Oil and gas extraction receded 2.2% as a result of decreases in both petroleum and natural gas production. Maintenance activities at some petroleum facilities affected production in May.

Support activities for mining and oil and gas extraction declined 2.5% in May, as a result of decreases in both drilling and rigging services.

Mining and quarrying (excluding oil and gas extraction) was unchanged in May. Increases in potash mining and, to a lesser extent, metallic mineral mining were offset by declines in coal mining.

Manufacturing output increases

Manufacturing output increased 0.3% in May. Durable goods production rose 0.3%, led by gains in machinery, furniture and related products and fabricated metals. However, manufacturing of primary metals and of computer and electronic products was down. Non-durable goods production rose 0.2% in May. Increases in chemical and in beverage and tobacco product manufacturing outweighed the declines at refineries and in food manufacturing.

Construction is unchanged

Construction was unchanged in May. Gains in residential building and repair construction were offset by declines in engineering and non-residential building construction.

The output of real estate agents and brokers rose 3.4% in May, up for a third consecutive month, as activity in the home resale market increased.

Other industries

The finance and insurance sector edged up 0.1% in May. The increase in financial investment services more than offset the decrease in insurance services, while banking services were unchanged.

Utilities declined 0.4% in May, as the demand for both natural gas and electricity decreased.

The public sector (education, health and public administration combined) was up 0.2%, on the advance of education and health services. Public administration was unchanged in May.

Chart 3  Chart 3: Main industrial sectors' contribution to the percent change in gross domestic product, May 2013 - Description and data table
Main industrial sectors' contribution to the percent change in gross domestic product, May 2013

Chart 3: Main industrial sectors' contribution to the percent change in gross domestic product, May 2013 - Description and data table

  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 (2009).

For the period starting with January 2010, the data are derived by chaining a fixed-weight Laspeyres volume index to the prior period. The fixed weights are 2009 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 more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonal adjustment and identifying economic trends.

For more information about monthly national GDP by industry, see the National economic accounts module on our website.

Data on gross domestic product by industry for June will be released on August 30.

Contact information

For more information, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; infostats@statcan.gc.ca).

To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Allan Tomas (613-951-9277), Industry Accounts Division.

Report a problem on this page

Is something not working? Is there information outdated? Can't find what you're looking for?

Please contact us and let us know how we can help you.

Privacy notice

Date modified: