Wholesale Trade Industry

October 2010

· The industry employed about 87,300 people in 2008

· Average annual employment growth rate in the industry between 2009 and 2013 is expected to be 3.5%

Profile

Businesses in this industry purchase merchandise for resale to retailers or to commercial, industrial, institutional, farm and professional service customers such as dentists and doctors. The wholesaling process is an intermediate step in distributing merchandise.

This industry includes wholesale distributors, agents and brokers of goods such as

· farm products

· petroleum products

· food, beverage and tobacco products

· personal and household goods

· motor vehicles and parts

· building materials and supplies

· machinery and equipment

Occupations include shippers and receivers, technical sales representatives, truck drivers, direct distributors and auctioneers.

Performance and outlook

The industry’s share of both economic activity and employment has increased since 1999.

Sales growth in the industry was sustained until late in 2008 when the effects of the recession took hold. Employment spiralled downward. Over the first eight months of 2009, the value of wholesale trade in Alberta declined by just over 11 per cent compared to the same period the year before.

Sales should rebound once economic prospects improve and consumer confidence returns. In the meantime, lower demand can be expected for sales representatives and technical sales specialists.

About 16,200 jobs will be created in the industry by 2013.

For more information see Alberta Career and Industry Outlook or Alberta Industry Profiles.

Occupations in the industry

For a list of occupations and related occupations in this industry, see OCCinfo Search by Industry: Wholesale Trade page.