Analysis

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This paper looks at the rationalization of production costs in the Canadian manufacturing sector by examining expenditures on four main inputs (wages, salaries, energy, and raw materials) as they have evolved over time.

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This paper highlights recent developments in self-employment in Canada and explores its relationship to unemployment/full-time paid-employment. There are now two and a half million Canadians working at their own businesses, amounting to 16.2% of the total labour force or accounting for 17.8% of total employment. In the first eight years of the 1990s, self-employment on average expanded by 4.1% per year, contributing to over three out of four new jobs the economy has created. Entry and exit data demonstrate that there are substantial flows into and out of this sector of the economy. Gross flows into and out of self-employment as the main labour market activity averaged nearly half a million per year between 1982 and 1994, amounting to 42% of the total self-employed population.

The fixed-effects modelling results show a statistically significant but empirically small negative (positive) relationship between self-employment and unemployment (full-time paid- employment). This conclusion holds true across different data sources, for different time periods, for different measures and definitions, for different empirical samples, and across various estimating techniques. There is also a statistically significant but empirically small negative (positive) relationship between exits out of self-employment and unemployment (full-time paid- employment). It appears that a host of non-cyclical factors are behind the recent surge in self-employment.

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This article examines data on the seasonal patterns of demand for accomodation supplied by Canada's hotel and motel establishments during the 1996 reference year.

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When Canadians need to see a doctor, the cost of physician services is not a barrier. However, travel distance may restrict some people's access to health services. This article examines the proximity of the population to physicians. From a representative point within each of Canada's 45,995 Enumeration Areas (EAs), we calculated the aerial distance to the nearest physician.

Description:

This paper i) documents the extent and cyclicality of self-employment entry and exit flows; ii) explores transitions to and from self-employment; and iii) investigates the influence of individual characteristics and labour market experience as well as macroeconomic conditions on the probability of moving into or out of self-employment.

The self-employed sector now employs over two and a half million Canadian workers, has expanded on average by over 4% a year so far in this decade and accounted for over three out of every four new jobs the economy has created. There are substantial flows both into and out of self-employment over the last 15 years. Gross flows into and out of self-employment averaged nearly half a million per year between 1982 and 1994, amounting to 42% of the total self-employed population.

Regression results reveal no statistical evidence supporting the dominance of the push hypothesis over the pull hypothesis --- the notion that people are increasingly pushed into self-employment by deteriorating economic conditions. This analysis is done both through time-series analysis and the analysis of the determinants of flows into (and out of) self-employment. As in paid employment, younger Canadians are subject to higher turnover in self-employment --- they are not only more likely to enter but also substantially more likely to leave self-employment. Prior paid-employment experience and prior self-employment experience are both found to be associated with a higher likelihood of entering self-employment. The longer one is self-employed, the less likely he/she is going to leave the business. Having a spouse in business (being self-employed) substantially increases the likelihood of the other spouse becoming self-employed --- a self-employed spouse often attracts the other to either join the family business or start their own. We also find evidence that steady family income through paid-employment from one spouse increases the self-employed's (the other spouse's) affordability to continue with the business venture and hence reduces the likelihood of leaving self-employment.

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This article highlights the key demographic and socio-economic characteristics of seniors in Canada.

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Consumer expenditures by households are increasingly a driving force behind economic growth, and are affected by several factors. Consumer tastes can shift over time, as new commodities are introduced and others become outdated. Changes in the demographic, economic and social characteristics of consumers can also affect consumer preferences, as can shifts in the relative prices, utilities and quality levels of various goods and services.

Based on Family Expenditure Survey data for both 1986 and 1996, this study examines how the household consumption of services has shifted over the past decade. Particular attention is paid to spending on: communications services; finance and real estate services; food and beverage services; traveler accommodation services; amusement and recreation services; and personal and household services. Insights are also provided on why household spending patterns for specific service commodities have changed from 1986 to 1996.

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To supplement the Services Indicators tables that regularly carry employment and remuneration data on six broad services industries for the most recent eight quarters, this section offers an historical overview of these same indicators, compiled annually, dating back to 1984. Employment shifts in these six industries from 1984 to 1997 are described, followed by detailed tables that quantify some aspects of services sector employment.

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Price inflation for Canadian consumers has thus far been much lower in the 1990s than in the previous two decades. This has especially been the case for the prices of consumer goods. In the 1990-97 period, the price index for consumer goods rose by just 16%. However, the 1990s inflation rate for consumer services was a markedly higher 26%.

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Our objectives in this chapter are to determine the degree of intergenerational income mobility in Canada during the mid-1980s and 1990s and to investigate whether it has changed over time. In an era of increasing income inequality within a generation, it is important to understand whether equality of opportunity is preserved, or whether increasing polarization in labour market outcomes will be further exacerbated in the next generation.

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It used to be that Statistics Canada didn’t measure poverty. Not exactly. Poverty is complex, and there wasn't a single definition that everyone agreed on. So while StatCan did measure low income and other income inequality indicators, it didn't measure poverty per se. That is, until 2018, when the government chose to use the Market Basket Measure, or MBM, as Canada's Official Poverty Line. That means that the government now uses the MBM to track its poverty reduction targets.

But something strange happened during the pandemic: in 2020 the poverty rate fell. And it fell quite a bit. In fact, the poverty rate dropped in one year almost as much as it had in the four preceding years.

But why? What happened? Will the poverty rate continue to fall? And what happens if it hits zero? How would health outcomes change? Education outcomes? People's general happiness and well-being?

Has there ever been a time and place in Canada where the poverty rate was zero? The closest may be the Mincome Experiment of the 1970s in Manitoba. Many Canadians have never heard of this guaranteed income experiment, but it offers a glimpse at what eliminating poverty might look like.

To learn more we spoke with Burton Burton Gustajtis an economist from Statistics Canada, Evelyn Forget, a Professor of Economics and Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba and Kevin Milligan, a Professor of Economics in the Vancouver School of Economics at the University of British Columbia.

Description: Sylvia Ostry was appointed Canada’s first and only female Chief Statistician in 1972, but she didn’t get there by playing by the rules. She was ambitious but grew up in a world where many thought that it was shameful to be female and have a career.

Ostry was a Jewish woman in economics and, even after she earned a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, she was denied a job with the United Nations because of her gender. Nevertheless, she had a storied career, becoming the Chairman of the Economic Council of Canada then the Chief Economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). But we're not focusing on her career highlights. We're going behind the scenes to look at how she challenged herself to succeed, becoming both a respected economist and mother, and how she handled setbacks and discrimination while staying true to herself and demonstrating the integrity for which she's remembered today.

We’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sylvia Ostry’s appointment as Chief Statistician. In this episode of Eh Sayers, featuring interviews with her sons, Adam Ostry and Jonathan Ostry, we are pleased to introduce you to this remarkable woman and to share with you eight pieces of advice inspired by her life.

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Using data from the General Social Survey, a new study entitled "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Religiosity of Canadians" examines changes in rates of religious affiliation, frequency of participation in group and individual religious activities, and involvement with religious organizations between 2015 and 2020.

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Using administrative data, such as goods and services tax (GST) revenue, this study assesses how the recovery began to unfold in selected service industries in 2021, the second year of the pandemic, even as supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, skill gaps and inflationary pressures intensified.

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Signs of a tightening labour market in Canada have been growing amid elevated labour demand. Based on the results from the Canadian Survey of Business Conditions, this article provides insights on labour related challenges faced by businesses across Canada and how these businesses plan to move forward in light of these challenges. Shortage of labour force, recruiting skilled employees, and retaining skilled employees are leading obstacles businesses expect to face in the short term. In response to these challenges, many businesses plan to have management and current employees to work more hours to address these labour obstacles.

Description: Canadian businesses face many different obstacles in their day-to-day operations. Several factors such as size, industry of operation and region of operation can cause businesses to experience different obstacles affecting their ability to sell to their markets. The obstacles experienced by businesses owned by different segments of the population can also vary. The challenges of businesses majority-owned by women are illustrated within this article. It involves an examination of the data produced by the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions.

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As the effects of the pandemic continue into its second year, we have all had to make adjustments with the way we go about our daily lives. We have seen plenty of service disruptions, closures of services and delays due to semiconductor scarcities, inclement weather or shifts in supply and demand. But what is the real cause of these disruptions and what is the supply chain that everyone is talking about? Our guest, Andrew Charles Barclay, an economist at Statistics Canada discusses the supply chain, what it is and why it’s important to Canadians. He also discusses the ripple effect it has on our consumer goods and services.

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Healthcare is a privilege that Canadians value greatly. However, virtual healthcare was a rarity before COVID-19. Immediately after the pandemic hit in March 2020, Canadians were forced to rethink how they access healthcare. Appointments that would usually have happened in an office were suddenly taking place by phone or video chat. Now, two years later, most health care is conducted virtually. The question is whether the access to virtual healthcare will disappear when the pandemic ends. Our guest, Dr. Gigi Osler, Co-Chair of the Virtual Care Task Force for the Canadian Medical Association, joins us to explore the barriers to virtual healthcare, the changes we saw during the pandemic, and what’s being done to make virtual care permanent.

Description: Data for Canadian greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributable to household consumption and use of select goods and services along with the associated emissions intensity figures and breakdowns by final demand categories.

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Canada’s diversity and rich cultural heritage have been shaped by the people who have come from all over the world to call it home. But even in our multicultural society, eliminating all forms of discrimination remains a challenge. In this episode, we turn a critical eye to the ways that cognitive bias risks perpetuating systemic racism. Statistics are supposed to accurately reflect the world around us, but are all data created equal? Join our guests, Sarah Messou-Ghelazzi, Communications Officer, Filsan Hujaleh, Analyst with the Centre for Social Data Insights and Innovation, and Jeff Latimer, Director General - Accountable for Health, Justice, Diversity and Populations at Statistics Canada as we explore the role data can play to make Canada a more equal society for all.

Description: Increases in grocery prices have outpaced headline consumer inflation since late 2021. While the pace of food inflation has eased recently, prices for many grocery items continue to rise month after month. This article examines data from recent business and household surveys on how Canadians have been adjusting to higher food prices.

Description: Using record linkage, this article compares marital status as identified in the 2015 T1 tax data to what was provided in the 2016 Census using record linkage.

Description: In the past two years, Canada has experienced inflation rates that have not been seen in the past two decades. The rise of markups, i.e., price over marginal cost, can be one of the potential drivers or amplifiers of inflation. This study uses firm-level data to estimate markups in Canada's pre- and post-COVID.

Description: The recent period of high inflation has prompted a number of studies examining its causes and consequences. Of particular interest if whether “greedflation”, the situation where businesses are taking the opportunity in a high inflationary environment to increase their prices above their underlying costs of production in order to garner higher profits. This article sheds light on this by investigating how labour costs (primarily wages and salaries), and non-labour costs (primarily returns to capital) are evolving relative to inflation.

Description: This fact sheet uses 2016 Census of Population data linked to the Remoteness Index to examine the relationship between remoteness and high school completion for First Nations people, Métis, and Inuit aged 19 to 45. The Remoteness index measures geographic proximity to service centers for each populated community, which is an important determinant of socio-economic, education, and health outcomes. This study attempts to disentangle factors relevant to educational attainment and shed light on the learning context of First Nations people, Métis, and Inuit.

Description: This fact sheet uses 2016 data to examine the education outcomes of First Nations youth aged 19 to 30 in secondary and postsecondary learning, alongside characteristics that may affect their educational experience. This study is guided by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action, which recognize the importance of equitable education in the success of Indigenous peoples. Comparisons between First Nations and non-Indigenous youth are presented in response to the TRC’s 55th Call to Action.

Description: This paper describes the composition of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket and the changes introduced with the 2023 basket update, based on 2022 expenditure weights.

Description: This paper reviews the various data sources available for measuring the population that is experiencing or has experienced episodes of homelessness. It focuses on data that has been collected by Statistics Canada and Infrastructure Canada and draws lessons from the Australian census to improve the data landscape in Canada. This environmental scan identifies gaps in the current data collection strategies and proposes solutions to start filling them. Working with partners, integrating data sets and strengthening the conceptual definitions could contribute to better information on homelessness in Canada and better direct supports to the homeless population.

Description: Research has identified an association between sleep and obesity in the general population, it is also important to examine this association in the military population. This study presents the prevalence of overweight, obesity, sleep duration and measures of sleep quality in the Canadian Armed Forces. In addition, the independent associations of sleep duration and sleep quality with obesity are examined.

Description: To date, population estimates of hypertension prevalence among children and adolescents in Canada have been based on clinical guidelines in the National High Blood Pressure Education Program’s 2004 Fourth Report on the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents (NHBPEP 2004). In 2017, the American Academy of Pediatrics published updated guidelines in Clinical Practice Guideline for Screening and Management of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents (AAP 2017), followed by Hypertension Canada in 2020 with its publication of Comprehensive Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, Risk Assessment, and Treatment of Hypertension in Adults and Children (HC 2020). This is the first study in Canada to compare the national estimates of the prevalence of child and adolescent hypertension based on AAP 2017 with estimates of prevalence based on NHBPEP 2004 and HC 2020. The main objectives of this analysis were to apply AAP 2017 and HC 2020 to all six cycles of Canadian Health Measures Survey data available to date and examine the effect on population estimates of hypertension prevalence by sex and age group among children and adolescents aged 6 to 17. This study also examines the impact of applying AAP 2017 across time and selected characteristics, describes those who are reclassified into a higher BP category under AAP 2017, and examines differences in hypertension prevalence resulting from applying HC 2020 versus AAP 2017.

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Many of the 60 or so Aboriginal languages in Canada are considered endangered to varying degrees for their long-term survival. Assessing language vitality or endangerment through the measurement of various factors can provide useful information to help ensure the continuity of a language. This paper illustrates how the 2011 Census of Population and the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) can be used to measure some of the factors that provide information related to the vitality of Aboriginal languages.

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This article presents employment and unemployment rates, and some information regarding salaries and industrial sectors of employees, for official-language minorities. These data are based on the Labour Force Survey and enable comparisons between official-language minority and majority according to their situation in the labour market for provinces or groups of provinces.

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This annual publication is based on the Survey of Intellectual Property Commercialization in the Higher Education Sector which tracks the progress of innovation in this area.

The objective of the survey is to assure the availability of pertinent information to monitor science and technology related activities and to support the development of science and technology policy. The topic studied is intellectual property management at universities and affiliated teaching hospitals. The data are used to determine how to maximize the benefits resulting from public sector research. Data users include the federal and provincial governments and university administrators and researchers.

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This report offers highlights from the 2007 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering, and Participating (CSGVP) which was undertaken to better understand how Canadians support individuals and communities on their own or through their involvement with charitable and non-profit organizations. For this survey, thousands of Canadians aged 15 and over were asked how they: gave money and other resources to individuals and to organizations; volunteered time to help others and to enhance their communities; and participated in the practices which help give substance to active citizenship. The results from this survey allow this report to tell a story about who Canada's volunteers and charitable donors are and the ways in which they contribute to our society.

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This publication provides the first national portrait of the many thousands of nonprofit and voluntary organizations found in every Canadian community. The data, from the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations, reveal a set of organizations that are widely diverse in nature, touching virtually every aspect of Canadians' lives.

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This booklet summarizes the key results of the first National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations. These organizations have a significant economic presence and serve as vehicles for citizen engagement. However, many report significant challenges to their capacity to fulfill their missions.

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The Ethnic Diversity Survey (EDS) was developed by Statistics Canada in partnership with the Department of Canadian Heritage in order to provide new and important information on the ethnic and cultural background of people in Canada and how it relates to their lives in Canada today.

The survey followed the 2001 Census with the census providing the frame for the sample. The target population for the survey was persons aged 15 years or older living in private households in the 10 provinces. The population did not include persons living in collective dwellings, persons living on Indian reserves, persons of Aboriginal origins living off-reserve, or persons living in Northern and remote areas. There was a separate post-censal survey designed for Aboriginal peoples, the Aboriginal Peoples Survey, which was conducted in 2001 and 2002.

Using the EDS data, this article examines Canada's ethno-cultural mosaic in 2002, providing a portrait of the different generations of Canadians who today make up this country. It also analyses the level of attachment that people in the different generations and ethnic groups have to their own ethno-cultural backgrounds and to the broader Canadian society.

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This paper provides a descriptive analysis of issues related to the access and use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) among Canadian youth. In particular, this research examines the extent to which inequities in the use and access of ICT exist among Canadian high school students, based on gender, socio-economic status and rural-urban location. Three datasets have been used to study this issue: the Canadian portion of the Second International Technology in Education Study (SITES), an international survey which measures schools' use of technological resources; the Youth in Transition Survey (YITS), which was conducted in conjunction with the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA); and Cycle 14 of the General Social Survey (GSS), which focusses specifically on issues related to ICT access and use.The results of these analyses suggest that there is a 'digital divide' among Canadian youth, in terms of access to and experience with ICT. Rural youth are less likely to have access to computers in the home; however, frequency of use and perceived competency levels are not compromised by this trend. Female youth and those from families with low levels of parental education are also less likely to have access to computers in their homes. These groups tend to spend less time on the computer and report lower levels of computer skills competency.

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The 2001 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) is a post-censal survey of adults and children whose everyday activities are limited because of a physical condition or health problem. A sample of those persons who answered 'Yes' to the 2001 Census disability filter questions were included in the PALS survey population. Approximately 35,000 adults and 8,000 children living in private or collective households in the 10 provinces were selected to participate in the survey. The data were collected in the fall of 2001.

This paper focuses on the various supports available for adults with disabilities. These supports include technical aids and devices, assistance with everyday activities, housing modifications and tax credits.

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This publication describes the statistical system used to produce Canada's balance of international payments and international investment position. Each of the accounts of these two statements is described in terms of concepts, data sources, methods and products. The Canadian practice is related to international standards. The publication concludes with a discusion of future challenges to maintain and enhance this statistical system. An extensive glossary is included. Some historical perspective is provided, notably in the Appendices where a summary of time series is provided along with a chronology of events that affected Canada's external sector over the last half of the XXth century. A description of the foundation of statistics is essential to help users in assessing the quality of data.