Government of Yukon

Economic Statistics

employment | population | prices | sales | construction | real-estate | tourism

This page contains as summary of Yukon Economic Data. For more detailed information please contact economics@gov.yk.ca or visit the Yukon Bureau of Statistics website.

 

Employment: Statistics Canada Yukon Labour Force Survey
  Dec 2010 Nov 2011 Dec 2011
Unemployment Rate 4.2 per cent 5.0 per cent 5.3 per cent
Labour Force 18,900 20,100 20,700
Employed 18,100 19,100 19,600
Unemployed 800 1,000 1,100
       
Annual 2009 2010 2011 prelim.
Unemployment Rate 7.5 per cent 4.2 per cent 5.4 per cent
Labour Force 18,800 19,000 20,100
Employed 17,400 18,300 19,400
Unemployed 1,400 800 1,100
Notes: Figures Seasonally Adjusted. Territorial figures reported are on a 3-month moving average while national and provincial figures are based solely on survey results from the reference month.

Yukon Bureau of Statistics employment reports can be found here.

 

Comments:  The number of people participating in the labour force increased by 600 in December over the previous month on a seasonally adjusted basis and the number of persons employed increased by 500 to to a record high 19,600. Overall this lead to the unemployment rate increasing in the last month to 5.3 per cent as 100 more persons were reported as unemployed. (totals may not add due to rounding).

Alberta was reported as having a 4.9 per cent unemployment rate last month, the lowest rate of the provinces in Canada. Newfoundland & Labrador was reported as having the highest provincial unemployment rate in November 2011 at 12.8 per cent.

Of the northern territories, Yukon is reported to have the lowest unemployment rate in December 2011. The NWT's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.8 per cent in November and Nunavut's was 14.9 per cent (Figures for Nunavut are only available on an Unadjusted for Seasonality basis).

Nationally, Statistics Canada reported that following two months of declines, employment rose slightly in December, up 18,000. The unemployment rate edged up to 7.5 per cent as more people participated in the labour market. Over the past 12 months, employment growth totalled 1.2 per cent (+199,000), with nearly all of the gains in the first half of the year.

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Population: Yukon Bureau of Statistics Health Care Population Estimates
  Jun 2010 Dec 2010 Jun 2011
Yukon 34,984 34,667 35,175
       
Whitehorse 26,418 26,304 26,711
Dawson City 1,891 1,881 1,880
Watson Lake 1,569 1,525 1,514
Haines Junction 856 809 822
       
Carmacks 500 485 508
Teslin 475 463 473
Marsh Lake 454 457 477
Mayo 452 439 447
Carcross 430 431 447
Faro 413 390 387
Ross River 361 352 362
Pelly Crossing 346 320 329
Tagish 245 245 251
Old Crow 235 233 245
Beaver Creek 99 104 105
Burwash Landing 101 104 97
Destruction Bay 48 47 47
Other 91 78 71
       
Annual 2008 2009 2010
Yukon 33,378 34,124 34,874

Yukon Bureau of Statistics population reports can be found here.

 

Comments: Yukon's population was 33,796 at the start of 1997. It decreased steadily for five years and then held at around 30,000 in 2002 and 2003. In 2004 the population began to climb.

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Prices: Statistics Canada Consumer Price Index for Whitehorse (Inflation)
  All Items Index Month/Month Change Year/Year Change
Nov 2011 119.4 0.3 per cent 3.2 per cent
Oct 2011 119.1 0.1 per cent 3.1 per cent
Nov 2010 115.7 0.2 per cent 1.6 per cent
       
Annual      
2010 Average 114.7 -- 0.8 per cent
2009 Average 113.8 -- 0.4 per cent
Notes: Data in Yukon is available for Whitehorse only.

 

Comments: Overall, prices are reported to have increased by 3.2 per cent in Whitehorse in November 2011 as compared to November 2010 and increased 0.3 per cent compared to October 2011.

In November 2011 the price of home heating fuel oils and other fuels is reported to have increased by 19.8 per cent from one year ago. In addition, the price of gasoline is reported to have jumped by 13.7 per cent from the same month in the year previous.

Across Canada, consumer prices rose 2.9% in the 12 months to November, matching the increase in October. While the 12-month change in gasoline prices continued to ease, the year-over-year increase in food prices remained high.

The highest rate of inflation in Canada for November 2011 was reported in Newfoundland and Labrador where prices increased by 4.1 per cent on a year over year basis. Iqaluit had the lowest reported rate of inflation in October 2011 at 2.2 per cent compared to November 2010.

Over the first eleven months of 2011, prices have increased on average 2.9 per cent in Whitehorse and 3.0 per cent across Canada.

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Sales: Statistics Canada Retail and Wholesale Sales
  Retail Trade Wholesale Trade
Oct 2011 $56.8 million $10.6 million
Sep 2011 $59.3 million $15.5 million
Oct  2010 $52.0 million $14.3 million
     
Annual    
2010 $578,435,000 $122,221,000
2009 $526,653,000 $120,425,000
2008 $534,455,000 $147,794,000
Notes: Figures Not Seasonally Adjusted

Yukon Bureau of Statistics retail trade reports can be found here.

Comments:  Retail trade in Yukon jumped 9.3 per cent or by about $ million when comparing September 2011 to September 2010.  Statistics Canada reports that Yukon Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealer sales decreased by about 7.8 per cent over the same month in the previous year. This sub-component accounts for roughly 20 percent of total retail trade. Yukon Food and Beverage Stores, which account for almost one-third of total retail sales, rose by 13.5 per cent in that same time period.

Year-to-date retail sales are 16.6 per cent higher than the same January thru October period in 2010.

Retail trade data for Yukon does not take into account price changes (inflation), so increase in prices can also drive up sales in addition to increases in sales volumes.

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Construction: Yukon Community Services Building Permit Data
  Nov 2010 Oct 2011 Nov 2011
Total $14.7 million $15.9 million $1.6 million
Residential $5.5 million $5.2 million $1.0 million
Commercial $6.1 million $429 thousand $31 thousand
Industrial $207 thousand $1.3 million $93 thousand
Institutional $2.9 million $8.9 million $477 thousand
       
Annual 2008 2009 2010
Total $71.5 million $158.3 million $131.7 million
Residential $48.6 million $42.3 million $49.7 million
Commercial $11.1 million $12.8 million $23.1 million
Industrial $3.9 million $17.3 million $11.9 million
Institutional $7.6 million $85.9 million $46.9 million
 

 

Comments: Year to date value of permitted construction is 28 per cent higher so far this year over the same in 2010. Residential construction has seen a 42 per cent increase and institutional construction has grown 42 per cent. Commercial permits are down by 13 per cent and industrial permitting has declined by 55 per cent over the same January through November period in 2010.

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Whitehorse Real Estate: Yukon Rent Survey and Yukon Real Estate Survey
Rent Dec 2010 Sep 2011 Dec 2011
Median Rent $775 $800 $800
Vacancy Rate 1.3  per cent 1.0 per cent 1.4 per cent
       
Sales Q3 2010 Q2 2011 Q3 2011
Total Transactions $83.0 million $73.9 million $81.0 million
Average Selling Price $378,900 $427,600 $455,700

Yukon Bureau of Statistics real-estate reports can be found here.

 

Comments: Yukon's median rent has remained unchanged at  $800 per month, same as the previous quarter as well the vacancy rate fluctuating in an narrow band around 1 per cent for the last year signifying a tight however static rental market.

The total value of real estate transactions in Yukon for the third quarter of 2011 was $80,967,300. This is a decrease of $2,008,100, or 2.4 per cent, from the third quarter of 2010, $82,975,400, which was the highest of any quarter on record.

The average single house price (does not include duplexes, condos or mobile homes) in Whitehorse in the third quarter of 2011 was $425,700- a new record high. This is an increase of $76,800 or 20.3 per cent compared to the third quarter of 2010 ($368,800). In addition, the median (50 per cent of sales above this figure and 50 per cent below) single house price in Whitehorse in the third quarter of 2011 was also a record high at $449,000. One year earlier in the third quarter of 2010 the median house price was $373,500.

 

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Tourism: Yukon International Border Crossings
  Oct 2010 Sep 2011 Oct 2011
Total 9,087 48,514 8,809
Yukon Residents 1,942 5,802 2,553
Other Canadian Residents 270 3,037 299
US Residents 6,732 35,022 5,777
Other Foreign Residents 143 4,653 180
       
Annual 2008 2009 2010
Total 389,442 363,318 400,507
Yukon Residents 39,794 39,105 43,825
Other Canadian Residents 25,644 28,765 25,365
US Residents 293,058 268,011 299,596
Other Foreign Residents 30,946 27,437 31,721
 

Comments: September border crossing figures decreased over the same month last year. Total visitation decreased by 3.1 per cent in October 2011 compared to October 2010 to 8,809. US visitors to Yukon decreased by 14.2 per cent compared to the previous October.

Year to date, January to October 2011, 390,751  travelers have entered Yukon through Canada Customs points of entry. In comparison with the same time period in 2010, this is a small decrease of 188 people, or 0.05 per cent. If you factor out returning Yukon residents, which has shown a year to date increase of 7.7 per cent, there is a decrease of 1.0 per cent.

Visitation by the largest segment of travellers, U.S. residents, has been reported to have decreased by 2.4 per cent in the first ten months of the year, dropping by 6,990.