While Toronto's skyline is a testament to its booming construction industry, the reality on the ground is a complex story of high wages, historic labor shortages, and a race to build the city's future, as 256,700 workers—12.5% of the city's total employment—drive a sector that contributed $28.5 billion to the local economy in 2022.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, Toronto's construction industry employed 256,700 workers, accounting for 12.5% of the city's total employment
- The average hourly wage for construction workers in Toronto was $32.45 in 2022, up 5.2% from 2021
- Women represented 10.8% of the construction workforce in Toronto in 2021
- Total value of residential construction starts in Toronto was $15.6 billion in 2022
- Non-residential construction investment in Toronto reached $12.4 billion in 2022
- 1,250 new high-rise condo projects were under construction in Toronto in 2023
- Total construction GDP contribution in Toronto was $28.5 billion in 2022
- Construction sector grew 4.8% year-over-year in Toronto 2022
- Average project cost inflation 7.2% in Toronto construction 2022
- Lost workdays due to incidents totaled 12,500 in Toronto construction 2022
- Fatality rate 8.2 per 100,000 workers in construction 2022
- Fall from height incidents 1,450 reported in Toronto 2022
- 156,200 building permits issued in Toronto in 2022 valued at $25.4 billion total
- Residential permits numbered 42,500 with $18.2 billion value in 2022
- Commercial permits 12,300 issued valued $4.1 billion 2022
Toronto’s construction industry is robust, employing many with rising wages and major projects underway.
Building Permits and Approvals
- 156,200 building permits issued in Toronto in 2022 valued at $25.4 billion total
- Residential permits numbered 42,500 with $18.2 billion value in 2022
- Commercial permits 12,300 issued valued $4.1 billion 2022
- Average permit processing time 45 days for major projects 2022
- 8,200 renovation permits issued $2.9 billion value 2022
- High-rise permit applications 1,120 approved in 2022
- Demolition permits 2,450 issued in Toronto 2022
- Heritage alteration permits 340 processed 2022
- Sign permits 5,600 issued for construction sites 2022
- Plumbing permits 28,000 with $450 million value 2022
- Zoning by-law amendments 210 approved for projects 2022
- Site plan approvals 890 for new developments 2022
- Electrical permits 35,200 issued 2022
- HVAC permits 14,500 valued $320 million 2022
- Permit rejection rate 6.2% due to code violations 2022
- Online permit applications 78% of total in 2022
- Minor variance applications 4,200 approved 2022
- Sewage system permits 1,100 for construction 2022
- Temporary use by-laws 320 granted 2022
- Deck and porch permits 9,800 issued residential 2022
- Committee of Adjustment hearings 2,500 held 2022
- Fire safety plan approvals 1,450 for sites 2022
- Occupancy certificates issued 3,200 post-construction 2022
- Permit fee revenue $145 million collected 2022
- Rezoning applications 450 processed 2022
- Energy efficiency compliance 95% for new permits 2022
- Fence permits 7,900 issued 2022
- Pool enclosure permits 1,200 approved 2022
- Official Plan amendments 45 tied to permits 2022
Building Permits and Approvals Interpretation
Toronto managed to issue a staggering 156,200 building permits—from high-rises to backyard decks—proving that the city’s official architectural ambition isn’t just to be a metropolis, but a 3D jigsaw puzzle under perpetual, $25.4 billion construction.
Construction Projects
- Total value of residential construction starts in Toronto was $15.6 billion in 2022
- Non-residential construction investment in Toronto reached $12.4 billion in 2022
- 1,250 new high-rise condo projects were under construction in Toronto in 2023
- Infrastructure projects valued at $8.7 billion were active in Toronto in 2022
- 45,600 housing units started in Toronto in 2022
- GTA had 78,000 condo units under construction as of Q1 2023
- Major transit projects like Ontario Line valued at $10.5 billion ongoing
- Industrial construction square footage added 15.2 million sq ft in Toronto 2022
- 320 new office towers planned in Toronto with 20 million sq ft
- Renovation projects totaled $4.2 billion in Toronto residential in 2022
- 12 green building projects certified LEED Gold in Toronto 2022
- Hospital expansions in Toronto construction valued $2.1 billion in 2022
- 5,800 affordable housing units under construction in Toronto 2023
- Data center builds added 1.2 million sq ft in GTA 2022
- School construction projects 18 active with $900 million value
- Retail space completions 2.1 million sq ft in Toronto 2022
- Net zero energy projects numbered 45 in Toronto pipeline 2023
- Highway expansions like 401 valued $1.8 billion ongoing
- Multi-family starts increased 22% to 38,000 units in 2022
- Hotel construction pipeline 15 projects 3,200 rooms
- Park and recreation builds $450 million in Toronto 2022
- Senior living facilities 12 projects under construction 1,800 units
- Total construction put-in-place $42.3 billion in Toronto 2022
- Student housing starts 2,500 beds in Toronto 2022
- Watermain replacements 120 km completed in Toronto 2022
Construction Projects Interpretation
While Toronto furiously stacks its vertical dreams and horizontal ambitions, with over $42 billion literally poured into the ground and thrust into the sky, the city appears to be building everything except a consensus on how to actually afford living in it.
Economic and Financial
- Total construction GDP contribution in Toronto was $28.5 billion in 2022
- Construction sector grew 4.8% year-over-year in Toronto 2022
- Average project cost inflation 7.2% in Toronto construction 2022
- 1,850 construction firms operated in Toronto with average revenue $15.4M
- Material costs rose 12% for steel in Toronto projects 2022
- Sector multiplier effect generated $1.75 in economic activity per $1 spent
- Tax revenue from construction $3.2 billion to City of Toronto 2022
- Profit margins averaged 4.1% for Toronto contractors 2022
- Investment in construction capital $35.7 billion in GTA 2022
- Productivity growth 1.2% in Toronto construction 2022
- Bond market financing for projects $6.8 billion issued 2022
- Insurance premiums for construction averaged $2.50 per $1000 value
- Export of construction services $450 million from Toronto firms 2022
- Venture capital invested $120 million in Toronto construction tech 2022
- Cost per square foot for high-rise $450 in Toronto 2023
- Government subsidies $1.1 billion for Toronto housing builds 2022
- Bankruptcy rate for construction firms 2.8% in Toronto 2022
- ESG investment in projects $2.3 billion premium paid 2022
- Fuel costs impact 8% of operating expenses in 2022
- Digital tool adoption saved 6% on project costs average
- Supply chain delays added 4.5% to timelines and costs 2022
- Revenue growth 5.9% for top 100 Toronto contractors 2022
- Carbon pricing added $150M to project costs in 2022
- Private investment share 68% of total construction spending
- Labour costs 42% of total project expenses in Toronto 2022
Economic and Financial Interpretation
Despite galloping ahead at 4.8%, Toronto's construction sector is running a precarious treadmill where a 7.2% inflation rate and soaring steel prices devour the meager 4.1% profits of its 1,850 firms, yet these gritty builders still manage to be the city's financial engine, generating $1.75 in economic activity for every dollar spent while contributing a vital $3.2 billion in tax revenue.
Health and Safety
- Lost workdays due to incidents totaled 12,500 in Toronto construction 2022
- Fatality rate 8.2 per 100,000 workers in construction 2022
- Fall from height incidents 1,450 reported in Toronto 2022
- WSIB claims for construction $285 million paid out 2022
- Heat-related illnesses up 15% to 320 cases in summer 2022
- Crane incidents 22 reported in GTA construction sites 2022
- 92% compliance rate for safety inspections in Toronto 2022
- Musculoskeletal injuries 4,200 claims from construction 2022
- Safety training hours totaled 2.1 million across sites 2022
- Silica exposure violations 156 in Toronto inspections 2022
- Mental health incidents reported 850 in construction workforce
- PPE non-compliance fines $1.2 million issued 2022
- Trench collapse incidents 14 with 3 fatalities 2022
- COVID-19 cases on sites 2,450 confirmed 2022
- Noise-induced hearing loss claims 210 in 2022
- Safety certification rate 87% for workers in Toronto
- Electrical shock incidents 89 reported 2022
- Fatigue-related accidents 340 in 12-hour shift sites
- Asbestos abatement incidents 45 violations 2022
- Vehicle-pedestrian incidents on sites 210
- Safety budget allocation averaged 3.2% of project costs
- Return-to-work rate 92% within 6 months post-injury
- High-risk site audits 1,250 conducted by MOL 2022
- Respiratory protection failures 76 cases 2022
- Suicide prevention programs reached 15,000 workers
- Ladder fall incidents 620 reported 2022
- Ergonomic training reduced injuries by 11% in participating firms
Health and Safety Interpretation
This year's grim statistics reveal Toronto's construction industry is simultaneously building skyward and digging its own grave, as even a near-perfect safety compliance rate of 92% is betrayed by thousands of injuries and a stubborn human toll that proves no amount of training or fines can yet build a foolproof scaffold between a worker and catastrophe.
Labor and Employment
- In 2022, Toronto's construction industry employed 256,700 workers, accounting for 12.5% of the city's total employment
- The average hourly wage for construction workers in Toronto was $32.45 in 2022, up 5.2% from 2021
- Women represented 10.8% of the construction workforce in Toronto in 2021
- There were 45,200 apprentices in Ontario's construction trades in 2022, with Toronto accounting for 38% of them
- Construction unemployment rate in Toronto stood at 6.1% in Q4 2022
- 15,300 new construction jobs were added in Toronto in 2022
- Indigenous workers made up 2.3% of Toronto's construction labor force in 2021
- The sector had a labor shortage of 12,500 skilled trades workers in Toronto as of 2023 forecast
- Average age of construction workers in Toronto was 42.7 years in 2021
- 28% of Toronto construction firms reported difficulty hiring in 2022
- Unionized workers comprised 55% of Toronto's construction workforce in 2022
- Youth (15-24) employment in construction grew by 8% in Toronto in 2022
- Immigrants filled 42% of new construction jobs in Toronto in 2021
- Turnover rate in Toronto construction was 14.2% in 2022
- 3,200 workers completed Red Seal certification in Toronto construction trades in 2022
- Part-time workers in Toronto construction increased to 7.5% in 2022
- Self-employed construction workers numbered 18,900 in Toronto in 2021
- Overtime hours averaged 4.2 per week for Toronto construction workers in 2022
- Visible minorities represented 52% of Toronto's construction workforce in 2021
- Training investment per worker in Toronto construction was $1,250 in 2022
- Persons with disabilities comprised 4.1% of the workforce in 2021
- Job vacancies in construction reached 9,800 in Toronto Q3 2023
- Productivity per worker in Toronto construction was $145,000 in 2022
- Female apprentices grew 12% in Toronto in 2022
- Seasonal employment peaked at 78% in summer months for Toronto construction
- Remote work adoption in construction admin roles was 15% in Toronto 2022
- Mental health leave days averaged 5.3 per worker in 2022
- Gig economy workers in construction numbered 4,500 in Toronto 2022
- Retirement rate projected at 7% annually for Toronto construction workforce 2023-2032
Labor and Employment Interpretation
Toronto's construction industry is a paradox of robust growth and glaring vulnerabilities, where one in eight workers builds the city yet the sector is simultaneously propped up by immigrants, plagued by a shortage of skilled hands, and nervously eyeing the retirement of an aging workforce.
Market Trends and Forecasts
- Construction market forecast predicts 3.5% growth in Toronto for 2023-2025
- Housing starts expected to decline 10% to 40,000 units in 2023
- Non-residential growth projected at 4.2% annually to 2027
- Labour demand forecast 25,000 additional workers by 2032
- Cost escalation expected 5-7% per year through 2025
- Industrial sector vacancy to fall to 2.5% by 2025
- Office construction completions peak 2024 at 4M sq ft
- Green construction to comprise 40% of projects by 2027
- Prefab modular adoption to rise 25% by 2025
- Digital twin tech use to triple to 30% of large projects by 2025
- Infrastructure spending $20B annually projected to 2030
- Retrofit market $5B opportunity in Toronto by 2025
- Data centre demand to add 10M sq ft by 2027
- Affordable housing pipeline 50,000 units by 2030
- BIM adoption 75% by 2025 forecast
- Supply chain resilience investments up 20% annually
- Net-zero retrofits 15% of renovation market by 2025
- Drone usage in inspections to 50% of sites by 2025
- AI optimization tools 40% adoption in scheduling by 2026
- Transit-oriented development projects 30 new by 2030
- Material recycling rates to 70% by 2027
Market Trends and Forecasts Interpretation
Toronto is trying to build its way into a sophisticated, green-tech future while simultaneously begging for 25,000 new workers, grappling with soaring costs, and promising a skyline where empty offices cozy up next to a critical shortage of places for people to actually live.
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