Wholesale Trade (NAICS 41): Ontario, 2025
Highlights
- There were 284,100 people employed in Ontario’s wholesale trade sector, comprising 3.5% of the province’s total workforce in 2024.
- Employment in the wholesale trade sector decreased by 1.1% in 2024.
- The sector is expected to see subdued growth over the 2025-2027 forecast period, as economic uncertainty and trade disruptions weigh on business investments, exports, and the overall demand for goods.
About the Sector
Composition and importance of the sector
The sector is comprised of establishments that engage in wholesaling merchandise to other businesses, and providing services related to the sale of the goods. Wholesalers sell merchandise in large quantities to retailers, businesses, and institutional clients. While they are usually intermediaries between producers and retailers, they may also sell directly to end users. Wholesale trade is a key sector in Ontario, supporting most other industries in the province.
There are two main types of wholesalers: 1) merchant wholesalers, and 2) wholesale electronic markets, agents, and brokers. Merchant wholesalers sell goods on their own account and generally operate from a warehouse or office. They may also provide related logistics, marketing, and other support services. In contrast, wholesale electronic market agents, and wholesale trade agents and brokers arrange sales and/or purchases of goods owned by others for a commission or fee. Examples include import-export agents, auction companies, and manufacturer’s representatives.
In 2024, the wholesale trade sector employed 284,100 people in Ontario, approximately 3.5% of the province’s total workforce.
In 2024, the sector contributed $58.5 billion to Ontario’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or approximately 6.1% of the province’s total GDP.
- Between 2023 and 2024, output in the industry grew by $482.8 million (+0.8%).
- Between Q2 2024 and Q2 2025, output increased by $1.2 billion (+2.2%).
| Machinery, equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers | Building material and supplies merchant wholesalers | Miscellaneous wholesaler-distributors and wholesale agents and brokers | Personal and household goods merchant wholesalers | Food, beverage and tobacco merchant wholesalers | Other Subsectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27% | 19% | 17% | 16% | 13% | 9% |
Description of graphic in accessible text
A pie graph that shows the breakdown of wholesale trade employment in percentages in 2024. Machinery, equipment and supplies merchants account for the largest share of employment (27%), followed by building material and supplies merchants (19%), miscellaneous wholesaler-distributors, agents and brokers (17%), personal and household goods merchants (16%), and food, beverage and tobacco merchants (13%). The remaining 9% of employment is made up of a mix of smaller subsectors.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Custom Table
Geographical distribution of employment
The wholesale trade sector is concentrated in southern Ontario, particularly in the Toronto Economic Region (ER). Employment in the Toronto ER accounts for more than half (52.5%) of total provincial employment in this sector, followed by Kitchener-Waterloo-Barrie (11.4%) and Hamilton-Niagara Peninsula (11.4%).
Ontario also represents a large proportion of total Canadian employment in this sector (39.7% in 2024). In addition, approximately 40.1% of all wholesale establishments in Canada are located in Ontario.
| Ottawa | 16,800 | 5.9% |
| Kingston-Pembroke | 7,500 | 2.6% |
| Muskoka-Kawarthas | 7,200 | 2.5% |
| Toronto | 149,000 | 52.5% |
| Kitchener-Waterloo-Barrie | 32,300 | 11.4% |
| Hamilton-Niagara Peninsula | 32,400 | 11.4% |
| London | 13,000 | 4.6% |
| Windsor-Sarnia | 13,000 | 4.6% |
| Stratford-Bruce Peninsula | 5,200 | 1.8% |
| Northeast | 5,300 | 1.9% |
| Northwest | 2,300 | 0.8% |
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Custom Table
*Note: Totals may not sum due to rounding.
Workforce
Workforce characteristics
- Males accounted for 67.6% of Ontario’s wholesale trade workforce in 2024, compared to 52.8% for all industries.
- The workforce is older in this industry, with 27.6% of its workers in 2024 aged 55 years and older, compared to 21.2% for all industries.
- Full-time work was more common in this sector in Ontario at 92.7% in 2024 compared to 82.4% for all industries.
- The average hourly wage rate in this industry in Ontario was $30.66 in 2024, comparable to the provincial average of $30.50.
| 64101 Sales and account representatives - wholesale trade (non-technical) | 57,900 | 20.4% |
|---|---|---|
| 60020 Retail and wholesale trade managers | 30,000 | 10.6% |
| 62100 Technical sales specialists - wholesale trade | 29,500 | 10.4% |
| 75101 Material handlers | 23,800 | 8.4% |
| 73300 Transport truck drivers | 10,700 | 3.8% |
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 the wholesale trade sector has increased over the past five years, by approximately 15.9% (+39,000) since 2020, comparable to the rate of growth across all industries in Ontario (15.7%). The personal and household goods subsector grew the most in this period (+55.4%), followed by building material and supplies wholesalers (+37.1%), and food, beverage and tobacco wholesalers. In contrast, employment in the largest subsector– building and supplies wholesalers, has declined slightly (-2.8%).
More recently, employment fell slightly in 2024 (-1.1%), as subsectors experienced uneven job growth. Farm product wholesalers (+83.3%; +1,500), motor vehicle and parts wholesalers (+27.1%; +3,800), and miscellaneous wholesalers (+8.6%; +3,800) saw the largest proportional gains, while petroleum product wholesalers (-24.4%; -1,100), machinery, equipment and supplies wholesalers (-7.9%; -6,600), and food, beverage and tobacco wholesalers (-7.3%; -2,800) incurred the largest employment losses. Job vacancies have also been trending downwards since 2023. In 2024, the job vacancy rate for wholesale trade in Canada averaged 2.6%, lower than the rate for all industries (3.2%).
Even though Ontario’s wholesale trade sector has seen sales increase on a year-over-year basis (+3.6% or +$1.6 billion between August 2024 and 2025), there are indications that ongoing trade uncertainty and supply chain disruptions have had impacts since the start of 2025. In the second quarter of 2025, for example, wholesale trade fell by 1.8%, with declines across a wide range of products such as motor vehicles and parts, consumer goods, machinery, and forestry products. Ontario’s international merchandise exports – i.e., all goods leaving Canada through the province, also dropped by 10.2% in Q2 2025. Activities in the sector have stabilized since, with sales increasing 1.2% in Q3. These changes are telling, since wholesale trade is the most trade-involved sector. Likewise, given wholesale trade’s intermediary function in the economy, notable shifts in this sector help provide insight into general business activity.
| Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 100.0 | 113.2 | 113.1 | 107.6 | 104.6 | 103.7 | 95.9 | 102.7 | 109.9 | 112.4 | 111.2 |
| GDP | 100.0 | 99.7 | 100.7 | 105.1 | 108.8 | 112.6 | 112.2 | 117.8 | 122.2 | 124.0 | 125.0 |
| Value of Exports | 100.0 | 115.0 | 101.9 | 103.5 | 108.0 | 108.8 | 107.7 | 131.3 | 138.5 | 148.9 | 153.1 |
Description of graphic in accessible text
This line graph shows changes in three indicators related to Ontario's wholesale trade sector over a 10-year period. Employment peaked in 2015 before decreasing until 2020. Since then, employment has risen gradually. In comparison, GDP has increased steadily between 2014 and 2024. Value of exports from the sector dipped in 2020 before continuing its upward trajectory in 2021.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0023-01; Statistics Canada, Gross Domestic Product by Industry – Provincial and Territorial (Annual), Table 36-10-0711-01; and Statistics Canada, Trade by Exporter Characteristics – Goods, Table 12-10-0098-01
*Data are expressed as index where year 2014 = 100%.
Employment Outlooks
Ontario’s wholesale trade sector is expected to see subdued growth over the 2025-2027 forecast period.
As a key sector that supports most other industries, wholesale trade’s employment outlook is tied to the performance of other sectors in Ontario. A generally positive outlook for the construction industry – owing to a projected gradual rise in residential construction and a range of major transit, mining, and nuclear projects (with activities expected to peak in 2027), could help support employment in related wholesale trade subsectors (e.g., building material and supplies; machinery, equipment and supplies). However, shifting market demand and ongoing trade disruptions to the province’s manufacturing sector could have negative trickle-down impacts for wholesale trade during the forecast period. In the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing space, for example, several large-scale projects have recently experienced delays as a result of falling demand or tariffs.
The wholesale trade sector is also affected by general economic conditions (e.g., supply chain disruptions, consumer demand). As such, employment and demand for this sector, tend to align with the overall state of the economy. With U.S. tariffs weighing heavily on many industries in Canada, both exports and business investment have fallen in the most recent economic quarter. Exports and business investment are expected to decline further, despite lower interest rates, as businesses scale back or put new investments on hold as a result of trade tensions. In addition, firms continue to face high input costs and weak demand from customers, with expectations that supply chain challenges will remain an obstacle in the near-term. On a longer-term trajectory, trade diversification efforts by the Government of Canada could open up new avenues for export and support wholesale trade employment.
One mitigating factor for employment could be the ongoing importance of e-commerce. In 2024, e-commerce sales from Canadian-based retailers totalled $48.9 billion, an 8.4% increase compared to the year before. As such, it is expected that businesses in the wholesale trade sector will also continue to invest in e-commerce capabilities, online sales, new technological innovations (e.g., warehouse automation) to increase productivity and competitiveness.
Finally, several grocery retailers in Ontario are planning expansions during the forecast period, which may help bolster employment in the food, beverage, and tobacco wholesaling subsector.
Key trends affecting the outlook of the wholesale trade sector
- Performance of other key sectors in Ontario (e.g., construction, manufacturing, retail trade).
- Overall macroeconomic conditions such as the state of international trade, consumer demand.
- E-commerce and the use of digital technologies for conducting sales and increasing productivity.
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% | 3.6% |
| Ottawa | 6.2% | 2.2% |
| Kingston-Pembroke | 2.3% | 2.8% |
| Muskoka-Kawarthas | 2.0% | 2.9% |
| Toronto | 52.5% | 4.0% |
| Kitchener-Waterloo-Barrie | 10.9% | 3.6% |
| Hamilton-Niagara Peninsula | 11.8% | 4.1% |
| London | 4.8% | 3.4% |
| Windsor-Sarnia | 3.9% | 3.3% |
| Stratford-Bruce Peninsula | 2.3% | 4.0% |
| Northeast | 2.3% | 2.4% |
| Northwest | 0.8% | 2.3% |
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Custom Table
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment, 2024 | Share of Total (%) | AAGR (%)* | Share of Total (%) | AAGR (%)* | |
| Employment | 284,100 | 100.0% | 1.2% | 100.0% | 1.8% |
| Male | 192,000 | 67.6% | 0.9% | 52.8% | 1.9% |
| Female | 92,100 | 32.4% | 2.2% | 47.2% | 1.7% |
| 15-24 years old | 20,200 | 7.1% | 3.3% | 12.6% | 1.0% |
| 25-54 years old | 185,600 | 65.3% | 0.5% | 66.2% | 1.8% |
| 55 years and older | 78,300 | 27.6% | 3.2% | 21.2% | 2.6% |
| Worked full-time | 263,300 | 92.7% | 1.1% | 82.4% | 2.1% |
| Worked part-time | 20,900 | 7.4% | 3.9% | 17.6% | 0.8% |
| Self-employed | 28,300 | 10.0% | -1.5% | 13.5% | 0.9% |
| Employees | 255,800 | 90.0% | 1.6% | 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 | 14,900 | 5.2% | -0.2% | 5.8% | -2.0% |
| High school graduate | 73,100 | 25.7% | 0.7% | 21.2% | -0.9% |
| Postsecondary cert. or diploma | 94,200 | 33.2% | 0.4% | 31.3% | 1.3% |
| University degree | 101,800 | 35.8% | 4.4% | 41.7% | 5.1% |
Sources: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Custom Tables
*Average annual growth rate for data since 2014