Alberta has outpaced national growth in equipment-sector jobs

Manufacturing / Heavy Equipment

Alberta outpaced national growth trends in Canada’s off-highway equipment manufacturing industry, according to a new report commissioned by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

The report says the province supported 11,395 direct jobs in the sector in 2025, representing 16 per cent of the national total.

When direct, indirect and induced employment are included, Alberta supported 22,024 total jobs in the industry, according to the report.

The report focuses on agriculture, construction and mining equipment manufacturing.

The report, titled The Economic Impact of the Canadian Equipment Manufacturing Industry, was commissioned by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and prepared by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Nationally, Canada’s off-highway equipment manufacturing industry generated $54 billion in total industry output in 2025, according to the report.

It says the sector supported 147,000 jobs across the country, contributed $24 billion in total value added to Canada’s gross domestic product and generated $13.7 billion in total labour income.

The report says the $24-billion GDP contribution represented nearly one per cent of Canada’s 2025 total nominal GDP.

Ontario continued to account for the largest share of industry operations and jobs, supporting 27,785 direct jobs and 59,521 total jobs.

Quebec remained the second-largest employer in the sector, supporting 13,625 direct jobs and 29,193 total jobs.

AEM said the industry saw overall growth compared with 2022, including an 11 per cent increase in sales and 3.3 per cent growth in employment.

The association said equipment manufacturers have faced economic uncertainty linked to fluctuating trade relationships, limited farm equipment demand and weak growth in housing developments.

It said strong infrastructure investment and critical minerals projects are supporting demand for construction and mining equipment.

“As Canada continues to focus on its nation-building agenda, equipment manufacturers play a key role,” said Megan Tanel, president and CEO of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

“Representing 7 per cent of Canada's manufacturing employment base, the number of jobs supported by the industry would fill the Montreal Bell Centre more than seven times. Despite headwinds, the industry has proven its adaptability and resilience.”

The release says the industry’s direct employment grew 5.9 per cent in 2023 before seeing a slight contraction in 2024 and 2025.

It says average labour income for people directly employed in the industry was $102,000 per job, roughly 30 per cent above the national average.

The release says industry-supported activity generated $1.1 billion in tax revenue, a 10.5 per cent increase from 2022.

The release also says policy uncertainty remains the main risk for the sector, including tariff changes, rules-of-origin enforcement and retaliatory measures that can affect costs and lead times.

AEM said the report is based on an S&P Global Market Intelligence analysis titled: Market Size and Economic Contributions of the Canadian Off-Highway Equipment Industry.

Click here to download: The Economic Impact of the Canadian Equipment Manufacturing Industry 

Federal government spending billions to train more workers

Skills Training / Government Funding

In its first-ever spring economic update, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly minted majority government is promising to spend billions on a strategy to train more skilled workers to help deliver on its plans to build big.

In total, there is $37.5 billion in net new spending in the spring economic update. That number grows to $54.5 billion when including measures announced since the last federal budget.

“Canada is resilient ... Canadians are resourceful people,” Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in the House of Commons after tabling the spring economic statement.

“Together we can chart a path forward through the fog of uncertainty because Canada has what the world wants and increasingly needs.”

More money for workers and athletes

The biggest new commitment contained in the government’s economic update is a new nationwide recruitment and training effort that would see between 80,000 to 100,000 new skilled trade workers hired by 2030-31.

The government says this would create “new opportunities for Canadians” and attract the workers needed “to build more homes and major projects at speed and at scale.”

For this “Team Canada Strong” plan, the Liberals are allocating $5.9 billion over five years, combining initiatives such as wage subsidies, apprenticeship training grants, labour mobility tax credits, training bonuses, and employer incentives.

As Carney alluded to on Monday, the marquee macroeconomic pledge within the spring economic statement is the creation of a national sovereign wealth fund that will give Canadians a stake in major projects. Relatedly, the Liberals plan to make the Employee Ownership Trust Tax Exemption permanent “to empower workers to participate directly in building Canada strong.”

The update also includes a new commitment to invest in sport in Canada “from playground to podium.” Earmarking $755 million for this initiative, the government says its aim is to expand access to sport, better utilize existing and new infrastructure, and better support Canadian athletes.

On the defence front, the billions in major new spending anticipated in the years ahead are not yet being accounted for as costs have yet to be pinned down on future procurement.

But the Liberals are spending $103.8 million to establish the Defence Investment Agency as a standalone entity. Another $2 billion is being committed to continue Canada’s support for Ukraine through Operation UNIFIER.

The document also details costs and commitments connected to a series of pre-announced initiatives including the Major Projects Office, the automotive and nature strategies, as well as extending alcohol excise duty relief for Canadian breweries, distilleries and wineries.

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