Self-employment in Canada, 2018
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Description: Self-employment in Canada, 2018
Self-employment in Canada, 2018
15% (2.9 million) of the total Canadian workforce was self-employed in 2018.
Among the self-employed, 62% were men and 38% were women.
Older workers were more likely to be self-employed than younger workers.
| Percent | |
|---|---|
| 15 to 24 | 3% |
| 25 to 54 | 14% |
| 55 and older | 26% |
| Percent | |
|---|---|
| Managers in agriculture, horticulture and aquaculture | 94% |
| Fishing vessel masters and fishermen/women | 78% |
| Managers in food service and accommodation | 72% |
| Optometrists, chiropractors and other health diagnosing and treating professionals | 72% |
| Creative and performing artists | 71% |
| Physicians, dentists and veterinarians | 68% |
Top four reasons for being self-employed:
- Independence, freedom, being one's own boss 33%
- Nature of job 15%
- Work-family balance 9%
- Flexible hours 8%
About 3 in 10 self-employed workers cited independence, freedom and being their own boss as the main reason for their choice of self-employment.
Men (38%) were more likely than women (26%) to indicate independence as their top reason for self-employment
Women were more likely to cite work-family balance (15%) or flexible hours (11%) as their main reason for self-employment compared with men (5% and 7% respectively).
Note: For more information, see the Guide to the Labour Force Survey (71-543-G).
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey.
- Date modified: