Ontario accounted for 92,612 published automotive-manufacturing payroll employees in June 2026—77.7% of Canada’s 119,132 total across vehicle, body-and-trailer and parts manufacturing. Quebec ranked second at 13,919, followed by Manitoba at 5,163. These are observed payroll employees, not announced, indirect or construction jobs.
Measured geography: this page uses one consistent monthly Statistics Canada measure across NAICS 3361, 3362 and 3363. It does not estimate suppressed cells or attribute employment to government policy.
Automotive manufacturing payroll employment by province
| Geography | NAICS 3361 | NAICS 3362 | NAICS 3363 | Published total | National share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 36,386 | 17,805 | 64,941 | 119,132 | 100.0% |
| Ontario | 29,817 | 4,286 | 58,509 | 92,612 | 77.7% |
| Quebec | 4,445 | 5,317 | 4,157 | 13,919 | 11.7% |
| Manitoba | 2,047 | 2,459 | 657 | 5,163 | 4.3% |
| British Columbia | 0 | 1,883 | 1,183 | 3,066 | 2.6% |
| Alberta | 15 | 2,098 | 254 | 2,367 | 2.0% |
| New Brunswick | 0 | 274 | 0 | 274 | 0.2% |
| Saskatchewan | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 0.0% |
Ontario’s concentration is strongest in parts manufacturing
Ontario’s published total includes 29,817 employees in motor-vehicle manufacturing (NAICS 3361), 4,286 in motor-vehicle body and trailer manufacturing (3362), and 58,509 in motor-vehicle parts manufacturing (3363). Parts therefore represent the largest component of Ontario’s observed total.
Quebec’s mix differs: 4,445 in vehicle manufacturing, 5,317 in body and trailer manufacturing and 4,157 in parts. Manitoba’s 5,163 total is led by body and trailer manufacturing. Those industry differences are why “auto jobs” should not be treated as assembly-plant employment alone.
What is—and is not—counted
- 3361: motor vehicle manufacturing.
- 3362: motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing.
- 3363: motor vehicle parts manufacturing.
- Measure: all payroll employees, unadjusted, in June 2026.
- Not counted here: indirect employment, dealerships, repair, logistics outside these industries, construction work and announced future jobs.
ISED describes a broader Canadian automotive ecosystem and reports more than 125,000 direct jobs in vehicle assembly and parts manufacturing in 2024. That contextual figure uses a different reference period and program framing, so it is not substituted for the monthly table used in this map.
How this differs from Motorz.ca’s auto-strategy coverage
Motorz.ca’s 2026 automotive strategy explainer owns federal policy, announced investment and the distinction between promised and existing jobs. This article answers a different question: where measured payroll employment is currently concentrated. No causal claim connects the June distribution to the strategy.
Methodology and limitations
Motorz.ca downloaded Statistics Canada table 14-10-0201-01 and filtered it to June 2026, all employees, provinces and three four-digit NAICS industries: 3361, 3362 and 3363. Published values were summed within each geography. The national share equals a province’s published sum divided by the Canadian total of 119,132.
- The table reports payroll employees, not unique people over a year or labour-force survey employment.
- Figures are unadjusted and may show seasonal movement.
- Some provincial cells are blank or suppressed. They are not estimated, so published provincial totals do not sum exactly to Canada.
- No city or metro estimate is created from provincial data.
- NAICS 3362 includes trailer manufacturing beyond passenger vehicles.
- Values may be revised by Statistics Canada.
Bottom line
Canada’s measured automotive-manufacturing payroll employment is highly concentrated in Ontario, particularly in parts manufacturing. Quebec and Manitoba form smaller distinct clusters, while suppressed data prevent a complete province-by-province allocation. The result describes June 2026 employment geography; it does not measure jobs created by policy.
Sources
- Statistics Canada table 14-10-0201-01, Employment by industry, monthly, unadjusted
- Statistics Canada Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours reference guide
- ISED, Canadian automotive industry
- Motorz.ca original provincial calculations and schematic map, September 10, 2026.
Related measure: employment and automotive manufacturing sales answer different questions and should be read together carefully.