The Construction Quarterly Insights Report is your essential guide to understanding the current state and future direction of Canada’s construction sector. Produced by the Canadian Construction Association (CCA), this exclusive report delivers expert analysis on economic trends, policy developments, and market forces impacting your business. Whether you’re planning for growth, managing risk, or advocating for change, the insights in this report are tailored to help CCA members make smarter, faster decisions.
View our most recent issues below.
Essential reading for every construction leader navigating today’s challenges
Summer 2025
Highlights:
- Construction holding steady: Industry output rose 0.22 per cent. While that’s more modest than the broader economy, it’s a stable gain for a sector that lacks export and inventory-driven spikes and absorbed higher imports.
- Building material inflation cooling – at factory gate: Industrial Product Price Index (IPPI) inflation slowed to 1.17 per cent YOY in May. Steel prices have climbed 3.38 per cent since February and cement costs are ticking up as well.
- Record federal build-out: The federal government’s four-year, $50 billion construction plan from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s platform places the industry in its most constructive (literally and figuratively) policy position since the post-war highway boom.
Spring 2025
Highlights:
- Industry holds steady: The construction sector expanded for a second consecutive quarter in Q4 2024, with real GDP rising 1.1 percent. Despite these quarterly gains, the industry posted a slight year-over-year contraction of -0.3 per cent in 2024.
- Material usage and trade in construction: Canada’s construction industry remains deeply dependent on imported materials, primarily steel, aluminum, cement, and electrical components. Many of these inputs are sourced primarily from the U.S., making them highly vulnerable to tariffs.
- Canada’s economic performance in Q4 2024 and early 2025: Despite a 1.6 per cent full-year growth rate, supported by lower interest rates and a temporary export surge, early 2025 is showing signs of strain. Escalating tariff threats and political uncertainty are weighing on consumer sentiment and investment, limiting the economy’s growth potential.
Winter 2025
Highlights:
- Trade and tariffs: Canada’s reliance on imports for critical materials like steel, aluminum, and lumber makes the sector particularly sensitive to trade disruptions.
- Workforce in construction: Employment levels in construction remain stable, reflecting strong demand for labour. As of Q3 2024, unemployment in the construction sector stood at five per cent, lower than the averages seen in the 2010s.
- Construction’s economic output: The construction industry’s GDP experienced modest growth in Q3 2024, reflecting the industry’s resilience in navigating economic uncertainties.
Check out some of our past issues.