Definition
The furniture manufacturing industry is comprised of establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing furniture and related products.
The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes are:
- 337—Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
- 3371 Household and Institutional Furniture and Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturing
- 3372 Office Furniture (including Fixtures) Manufacturing
- 3379 Other Furniture-Related Product Manufacturing
Statistical summary
| Economic Indicators | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | % change 2014-15 | CAGR 2011-15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Domestic Product | 4,098.0 | 4,111.0 | 4,359.0 | 4,489.0 | 4,624.0 | 3.0% | 3.1% |
| Shipments | 10,062.9 | 10,040.3 | 10,593.3 | 11,049.6 | 11,620.5 | 5.2% | 3.7% |
| Total Imports | 5,383.0 | 5,843.5 | 5,996.6 | 6,518.3 | 7,216.8 | 10.7% | 7.6% |
| Total Exports | 3,620.4 | 3,758.9 | 3,843.1 | 4,356.6 | 5,348.0 | 22.8% | 10.2% |
| Re-Exports | 284.6 | 310.3 | 314.9 | 370.9 | 532.8 | 43.7% | 17.0% |
| Apparent Domestic Market | 11,825.5 | 12,125.0 | 12,746.7 | 13,211.3 | 13,489.3 | 2.1% | 3.3% |
| Domestic Market Share | 54.5% | 51.8% | 53.0% | 50.7% | 46.5% | -4.2% | -2.0% |
| Trade Balance | -1,762.6 | -2,084.6 | -2,153.4 | -2,161.6 | -1,868.8 | 13.5% | -1.5% |
| Import Penetration | 45.5% | 48.2% | 47.0% | 49.3% | 53.5% | 4.2% | 2.0% |
| Export Orientation | 36.0% | 37.4% | 36.3% | 39.4% | 46.0% | 6.6% | 2.5% |
| Manufacturing Intensity Ratio | 40.7% | 40.9% | 41.1% | 40.6% | 39.8% | -0.8% | -0.2% |
| Capital Expenditures | 107.3 | 101.4 | 102.6 | 78.0 | 89.0 | 14.1% | -4.6% |
| R&D | 38.0 | 30.0 | 22.0 | 23.0 | 22.0 | -4.3% | -12.8% |
| Employment | 66.0 | 65.0 | 65.0 | 63.3 | 63.9 | 0.9% | -0.8% |
| Labour Productivity | 62.1 | 63.2 | 67.1 | 70.9 | 72.3 | 2.0% | 3.9% |
| EstablishmentsFootnote 1 | 4,144 | 3,934 | 4,095 | 3,907 | 3,832 | N/A | N/A |
Definitions:
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Source: Statistics Canada, Trade Data Online | |||||||
Economic overview
The furniture manufacturing industry exhibited steady growth between 2011 and 2015. Shipments increased at an average annual rate of 3.7% since 2011, reaching $11.6 billion in 2015. GDP increased at an average annual rate of 3.1%, totalling $4.6 billion in 2015. Output growth during the period was fueled by an increase in total exports from $3.6 billion in 2011 to $5.4 billion in 2015. Total imports increased at a similar value, rising from $5.3 billion to $7.2 billion during the same period. The similar growth resulted in a modest change in the trade deficit from $1.7 billion in 2011 to $1.8 billion in 2015. Between 2011 and 2015, the total number of establishments contracted by approximately 6% or 237 establishments, and the reduction was mirrored in employment, which decreased at an average annual rate of 0.8%. In 2015, 63,900 individuals were employed in the furniture manufacturing sector and the Canadian furniture industry consisted of 3,907 establishments.
Trends in the industry
In the past decade, the Canadian furniture industry has contracted as a result of three factors: the offshoring of furniture production to primarily Asian countries, the rise of the value of the Canadian dollar, and the recession of 2008-09. Despite the significant transformation of the industry, it is still the second largest consumer products sector after food and beverage processing in terms of employment and has a significant domestic presence with regional representation in every province. Canada has expertise in solid wood furniture, office furniture and kitchen cabinet manufacturing. The Canadian furniture industry is one of the top 10 producers of furniture in the world and has a strong reputation for high quality and its use of Made-in-Canada branding.