2022 in Review | Canadian Energy Industry Labour Market

Careers in Energy has released December 2022 and Annual 2022 data from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey (LFS), providing a glimpse into the state of the Canadian energy industry’s labour market at year-end. Careers in Energy gathers and analyzes data specifically within the following industry sub-sectors: exploration and production (including oil sands), oil and gas services, and pipelines. 

Employment remained steady

Employment in Canada’s energy industry was virtually unchanged in 2022, declining by only 500 (-0.2%) relative to the previous year to 184,100. While employment in 2022 increased by 20,900 (+13%) since it hit a low of 163,200 in 2020, it remained significantly below the peak of 225,900 in 2014.

Figure 1: Employment in Canada’s Energy Industry, 2012 to 2022

Job gains in exploration and production

Employment in Canada’s exploration and production sub-sector increased by 900 (+0.9%) year-over-year, offset by a decrease of 1,000 (-6.4%) in the pipelines sub-sector. Employment in the oil and gas services sub-sector in 2022 was relatively unchanged year-over-year.

Figure 2: Employment in Canada’s Energy Industry by Sub-sector, 2021 and 2022

The share of women employed in the energy sector declined for the second consecutive year

Employment among women declined by 600 (-1.5%) in 2022, while employment among men was essentially unchanged (+100 or +0.1%). Approximately 900 fewer women were employed in the oil and gas services sub-sector in 2022, offset by an employment gain in the pipelines sub-sector (+400). In 2022, women accounted for 20% of the energy workforce, down from 21% the previous year and 23% in 2020.

Employment increased for older adults

In 2022, employment increased by 4,000 (+14%) for those aged 55 and over and by 3,100 (+7%) for those aged 45 to 54. These gains were offset by an employment decline of 7,400 (-12%) for those aged 35 to 44. Employment for youth aged 15 to 24 also decreased by 500 (-5%) in 2022, while employment for those aged 25 to 34 was relatively unchanged year-over-year.

Figure 3: Employment in Canada’s Energy Industry by Age, 2021 and 2022

Full-time work increased in 2022

The relative stability in overall total employment was the result of offsetting movements in full-time and part-time work. The number of people employed in the energy industry on a part-time basis decreased by 1,200 (-20%) in 2022. In contrast, full-time employment was up by 700 (+0.4%). Overall, the share of workers employed on a full-time basis increased to 97.4% in 2022, from 96.7% the previous year.

Unemployment rate dropped

The unemployment rate in Canada’s energy industry continued its downward trend – dropping to just 2.8% in 2022 from 5.5% the previous year and from 10.8% in 2020. In 2022, the unemployment rate for men (2.9%) was slightly higher than for women (1.7%).

What’s ahead

Watch for the January 2023 Labour Force Survey data which will be available here on February 10, 2023.