Retail Trade (NAICS 44-45): Ontario, 2025
Highlights
- There were 841,500 people employed in Ontario’s retail trade sector, comprising 10.3% of the province’s total workforce in 2024.
- Employment in the retail trade sector decreased by 1.2% in 2024.
- Employment is expected to see slight growth over the 2025-2027 forecast period, supported by ongoing e-commerce activities and retail store expansions in Ontario.
About the Sector
Composition and importance of the sector
The retail trade sector is comprised of establishments that sell merchandise in small quantities to the public as the final step in the distribution of merchandise. It includes retailers that operate brick-and-mortar locations (e.g., food and beverage stores, clothing and clothing accessory stores, general merchandise stores) as well as retailers who sell products and goods through other methods (e.g., internet retail, direct selling, and mail-order retail).
Some types of retailers also provide after-sales services, such as repair and installation. Motor vehicle and parts dealers, and electronic and appliance stores fall into this category.
In 2024, the retail trade sector employed 841,500 people in Ontario, approximately 10.3% of the province’s workforce.
In 2024, the sector contributed $43.4 billion to Ontario’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or approximately 4.5% of the province’s total GDP.
- Between 2023 and 2024, output in the industry increased by $494.3 million (+1.2%).
- Likewise, between Q2 2024 and Q2 2025, output grew by 4.3%.
| Food and Beverage Retailers | Sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book, and miscellaneous retailers | General merchandise retailers | Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers | Health and personal care retailers | Other Subsectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23% | 18% | 14% | 11% | 10% | 25% |
Description of graphic in accessible text
A pie graph that shows a breakdown of retail trade employment in percentages. Food and beverage retailers made up 23% of total retail trade employment, followed by sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book and miscellaneous retailers (18%), general merchandise retailers (14%), motor vehicle and parts dealers (11%), and health and personal care retailers (10%). The remaining quarter of employment is made up of a mix of smaller subsectors.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Custom Table
Geographical distribution of employment
The retail trade sector is concentrated in southern Ontario, particularly in the Toronto Economic Region (ER). In 2024, retail trade employment in the Toronto ER accounted for nearly half of total provincial employment (45.8%), followed by Hamilton-Niagara Peninsula ER (10.7%) and the Kitchener-Waterloo-Barrie ER (10.3%).
Ontario represents a large proportion of the sector’s total employment nationally: in 2024, more than a third of all individuals employed in this sector across Canada worked in Ontario (37.8%).
| Ottawa | 86,100 | 10.2% |
| Kingston-Pembroke | 28,200 | 3.4% |
| Muskoka-Kawarthas | 24,800 | 2.9% |
| Toronto | 385,500 | 45.8% |
| Kitchener-Waterloo-Barrie | 86,300 | 10.3% |
| Hamilton-Niagara Peninsula | 89,700 | 10.7% |
| London | 43,600 | 5.2% |
| Windsor-Sarnia | 35,600 | 4.2% |
| Stratford-Bruce Peninsula | 15,700 | 1.9% |
| Northeast | 34,300 | 4.1% |
| Northwest | 11,700 | 1.4% |
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Custom Table
*Note: Totals may not sum due to rounding.
Workforce
Workforce characteristics
- The workforce in Ontario’s retail trade sector tends to be younger, with 27.5% of its workers aged 15 to 24, notably higher than the average across all industries (12.6%).
- Part-time work was more common in this sector at 35.5%, compared to 17.6% for all industries across Ontario in 2024.
- Self-employment was less common in this sector at 7.2% in 2024, compared to 13.5% for all industries across Ontario.
- A lower proportion of the retail trade workforce in Ontario holds a university degree (25.5%) compared to the provincial average (41.7%).
- The average hourly wage in retail trade was $23.27 in 2024, below the provincial average of $30.50.
| 64100 Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers | 213,000 | 25.3% |
|---|---|---|
| 60020 Retail and wholesale trade managers | 96,900 | 11.5% |
| 65102 Store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers | 93,000 | 11.1% |
| 62010 Retail sales supervisors | 85,300 | 10.1% |
| 65100 Cashiers | 74,000 | 8.8% |
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Custom Table
Note: The NOCs listed make up approximately half of those employed in the sector.
Recent History
Employment in Ontario’s retail trade sector as a whole has been declining since its peak in 2022. Compared to 2023, employment levels fell in several subsectors in 2024. Those with the largest proportional declines included: gasoline stations and fuel vendors (-8.8%); food and beverage retailers (-5.7%), and motor vehicle and parts dealers (-3.6%). In contrast, retail subsectors that experienced the largest proportional increases in employment were electronics and appliance retailers (+11.2%), building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers (+7.1%), and general merchandise retailers (+4.3%), such as department stores.
Online shopping and e-commerce activities continued to be an important contributor to the retail trade sector. E-commerce sales throughout 2024 and the first half of 2025 consistently made up approximately 6% of total retail sales in Canada, a notable increase compared to pre-pandemic levels. Likewise, e-commerce sales from Canadian-based retailers continue to grow; between 2023 and 2024, annual e-commerce sales grew by 8.4%.
More recently, several large retail layoffs, such as Hudson’s Bay Company, have taken place in Ontario, while consumer demand for goods and services also appears to be slowing. Even though interest rates remain lower in 2025 than the previous year, highly indebted households, economic uncertainty stemming from ongoing trade disruptions, as well as growing unemployment in the province are beginning to impact spending decisions. In addition, population growth in Ontario has eased in recent quarters, likely contributing to the slowdown in consumer spending.
| Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sector Employment | 100.0 | 94.8 | 94.4 | 101.7 | 102.1 | 104.8 | 99.7 | 103.4 | 107.0 | 104.6 | 103.3 |
| Sector GDP | 100.0 | 99.3 | 105.0 | 108.5 | 111.5 | 114.6 | 110.3 | 116.1 | 126.9 | 128.7 | 130.2 |
| Adjusted Household Disposable Income | 100.0 | 104.7 | 106.8 | 111.6 | 116.5 | 121.4 | 131.3 | 136.3 | 143.4 | 150.7 |
Description of graphic in accessible text
This line graph shows changes in three indicators related to Ontario's retail trade sector over a 10-year period. Employment increased marginally between 2014 and 2024, growing by approximately 3 percent. In contrast, the sector’s GDP has increased more significantly, despite a brief dip in 2020. Adjusted household disposable has also risen steadily between 2014 and 2023, mirroring the trajectory of GDP growth.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0023-01 ; GDP by Industry – Provincial and Territorial (Annual), Table 36-10-0711-01 ; and Provincial and Territorial GDP by Income and by Expenditure Accounts, Table 36-10-0612-01
*Data are expressed as index where year 2014 = 100%. For the adjusted household disposable income variable, 2024 data is unavailable
Employment Outlooks
Employment in Ontario’s retail trade sector is expected to see slight growth during the 2025-2027 forecast period.
Despite some major retail closures in 2025, including Hudson’s Bay Company, as well as ongoing trade tensions, the demand for retail space remains positive, particularly in Toronto. National and international retailers continued to expand their footprint in Ontario in 2025, with many more retailers slated to open new stores in 2026 and 2027. Expansion plans are particularly significant among grocery retailers.
E-commerce will likely remain an important platform for retail businesses and is expected to grow over the forecast period, even as people return to in-store shopping. The retail e-commerce market remains notably higher than pre-pandemic levels and as such, it is expected that retailers will continue to invest in their e-commerce capabilities, such as technologies allowing customers to easily interact with its business across multiple channels (e.g., via the web, brick and mortar locations, and in mobile applications).
However, slowing population growth could temper employment increases in the retail trade sector. Reductions to Canada’s temporary and permanent immigration levels were introduced in October 2024, and impacts have been reflected in quarterly population data. Between Q2 2024 and Q2 2025, Ontario’s population grew by 0.9% (or by approximately 143,400), a substantial decrease compared to a growth rate of 3.6% the year before.
Lastly, given the retail trade sector is sustained by consumer spending, it is sensitive to general economic conditions. Ongoing trade tensions with the United States is likely to dampen consumer spending, with some retail subsectors more likely to be impacted than others. For example, households may limit their spending to essential goods (e.g., food) and delay major purchases until economic uncertainties ease. In a similar vein, food and beverage retailers in Ontario have largely been absorbing tariff-related price increases to date, but may not be able to continue doing so in the long-term. As such, recent announcements to remove retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods could help mitigate cost increases and raise consumer and business confidence.
Key trends affecting the outlook of the retail trade sector
- Ongoing e-commerce activities and investments in new tools and technologies to meet evolving customer preferences and to maintain competitiveness.
- Uncertain macroeconomic conditions and slowing population growth.
- Higher costs of non-discretionary expenses (e.g., food, housing, energy) may affect consumer spending on other types of goods.
For Further Information
Note: In preparing this document, the authors have taken care to provide clients with labour market information that is timely and accurate at the time of publication. Since labour market conditions are dynamic, some of the information presented here may have changed since this document was published. Users are encouraged to also refer to other sources for additional information on the local economy and labour market. Information contained in this document does not necessarily reflect official policies of Employment and Social Development Canada.
Portions of this sector profile were prepared with support from artificial intelligence (AI) tools, in accordance with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) guidelines. All AI-assisted content has been reviewed for accuracy and compliance with ESDC standards.
Prepared by: Labour Market and Socio-economic Information Directorate, Service Canada, Ontario Region
For further information, please contact the Labour Market Information Directorate.
Appendix
| 2022-2024 Average | 2022-2024 Average | |
| Ontario | 100.0% | 10.7% |
| Ottawa | 10.2% | 10.7% |
| Kingston-Pembroke | 3.4% | 12.1% |
| Muskoka-Kawarthas | 2.8% | 11.9% |
| Toronto | 46.2% | 10.5% |
| Kitchener-Waterloo-Barrie | 10.5% | 10.5% |
| Hamilton-Niagara Peninsula | 10.7% | 11.2% |
| London | 5.0% | 10.5% |
| Windsor-Sarnia | 4.2% | 10.5% |
| Stratford-Bruce Peninsula | 2.0% | 10.4% |
| Northeast | 3.7% | 11.8% |
| Northwest | 1.4% | 11.4% |
Sources: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Custom Table
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment, 2024 | Share of Total (%) | AAGR (%)* | Share of Total (%) | AAGR (%)* | |
| Employment | 841,500 | 100.0% | 0.4% | 100.0% | 1.8% |
| Male | 422,000 | 50.1% | 1.1% | 52.8% | 1.9% |
| Female | 419,400 | 49.8% | -0.2% | 47.2% | 1.7% |
| 15-24 years old | 231,100 | 27.5% | -0.8% | 12.6% | 1.0% |
| 25-54 years old | 437,200 | 52.0% | 0.7% | 66.2% | 1.8% |
| 55 years and older | 173,200 | 20.6% | 2.0% | 21.2% | 2.6% |
| Worked full-time | 542,700 | 64.5% | 0.8% | 82.4% | 2.1% |
| Worked part-time | 298,800 | 35.5% | -0.3% | 17.6% | 0.8% |
| Self-employed | 60,700 | 7.2% | -2.3% | 13.5% | 0.9% |
| Employees | 780,800 | 92.8% | 0.7% | 86.5% | 2.0% |
| Permanent job | n/a | n/a | n/a | 77.0% | 2.2% |
| Temporary job | n/a | n/a | n/a | 9.5% | 0.8% |
| Less than high school | 93,700 | 11.1% | -0.9% | 5.8% | -2.0% |
| High school graduate | 302,400 | 35.9% | -1.7% | 21.2% | -0.9% |
| Postsecondary cert. or diploma | 230,500 | 27.4% | 0.9% | 31.3% | 1.3% |
| University degree | 214,900 | 25.5% | 4.9% | 41.7% | 5.1% |
Sources: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Custom Table
*Average annual growth rate for last ten years available data