The Business & Community Newsletter – August 2018

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Feature article

Statistics Canada's Custom Data Services

Statistics Canada collects data on a wide range of topics about Canada, from the state of the economy (GDP, retail and wholesale and manufacturing), to the health and wealth of its people; these data are analyzed and published on our website in easily accessible tables, profiles and infographics. However, what to do if the information you are looking for is not readily available for the specific geographic area or data points you need? This is when Statistics Canada's regional Custom Data Services can help.

"A lot of data tables are already available online at no cost," says Cheryl Yaffa, Custom Services Manager for the Central Region. "However, when a client identifies a need that can't be answered with a standard product, we can help." In each region, there are Data and Geography Consultants who will work with data users to develop custom solutions based on identified variables. This can be as simple as taking a standard table and modifying a variable or geography. In other cases, it may involve creating a series of customized tables according to a user's defined variables. "Our consultants will work with clients to define what variables and geography are needed and are available," adds Yaffa.

A business consultant, for example, may want to know about the population who work in a 10 km radius of a target business area. A planner may be interested in knowing education, income, housing or labour force data for a non-standard geography such as in a local neighbourhood. If standard data is not available, custom tabulations may be the solution. It should be noted that because of the complexity of putting together a custom report, these services are available on a cost recovery basis. Statistics Canada is committed to providing data users with information, products and services that are useful to them. For more information or to access Statistics Canada custom services, complete the online form or contact Statcan.infostats-infostats.Statcan@canada.ca.

Did you know…?

New data for wholesale trade

As of July 2018, Statistics Canada's monthly wholesale trade data release includes constant dollar data.

Currently, the Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey provides current dollar data for wholesale sales at the national, provincial and territorial level by subsector/industry. The monthly release has now been expanded to include constant dollar data at the industry level back to January 2009. This allows users to track changes and trends over time. STATCAN recognizes the importance of providing high-quality data that meet the needs of users. The expanded data series is in response to a 2015 consultation Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade Division: Environmental Scan in which users indicated they had questions on emerging trends and activities that could not be answered by the current data. With the new data, users can analyze the information in more detail, better understand wholesale trade figures and trends, and determine whether changes are caused by volume or price changes. The new, detailed information was made available in The Daily and table 20-10-0003-01 on July 23, 2018, and will be updated each month going forward.

Regions …by the numbers

Business News

Better Understanding the Self-employed

There has been much talk about the impact entrepreneurship has on Canada's economy. The many aspiring candidates who try to get a dragon's attention on the popular television program Dragon's Den (and Dans l'oeil du dragon in Quebec) are testament to Canuck's entrepreneurial spirit. Entrepreneurs bring a fresh look at the market creating jobs and strengthening regional economies. Many of yesterday's start-ups are today's success stories: tech darlings Shopify (shopping), Ritual (order-ahead food) and retailer Frank & Oak (men's wear) are examples. Entrepreneurial activity has long been argued as an important driver of innovation, job creation, and productivity growth.

However, according to Statistics Canada Senior Economists Douwere Grekou and Huju Liu, "measuring entrepreneurial activity is not easy." Studies on the topic generally focus on broadly defined measures that mix different kinds of entrepreneurs such as commission salespersons and professionals running unincorporated firms such as doctors and lawyers, and owners of corporations. In their study, The Entry into and Exit out of Self-employment and Business Ownership in Canada, the authors provide a better understanding of the different types of self-employment. The paper includes a comparison of the entry and exit dynamics of the two types of self-employment by age, gender, and province.

Grekou says that this in-depth analysis was possible because of the existence of the Canadian Employer-Employee Dynamics Database (CEEDD). The CEEDD is a link between various tax files including the T1 personal, family and business declaration files, the T2 files (corporate tax return and owner files) and the T4 supplementary and summary files, as well as the longitudinal immigration database (IMDB). For this reason, they are able to look at different types of self-employment, by industry, gender, and geography down to small geographic areas. Liu adds, "It is timelier and more detailed than census data."

To access the full article, visit The Entry into and Exit out of Self-employment and Business Ownership in Canada. To learn more about the Canadian Employer-Employee Dynamics Database, visit the Canadian Centre for Data Development and Economic Research (CDER) home page.

Related Information

• The Canadian Centre for Data Development and Economic Research (CDER)
• Balancing Family and Work: Transition to Self-employment Among New Mothers (November 25, 2016)
• Unincorporated Self-employment in Canada, 1989 to 2010 (October 2015)
• Business Ownership and Employment in Immigrant-owned Firms in Canada (March 21, 2016)

Statistics Canada 2018 Workshop Series

Offered through our regional offices, our Workshop Series provides you with direct access to Statistics Canada's extensive survey methodology and analysis experience. From designing surveys to interpreting and using statistical data in your day-to-day business, we have the course to suit your needs. All instructors are professional staff with broad experience and knowledge in their field of expertise and in training.

Featured Workshops

You will find below the workshop offerings for your region. For workshop descriptions, please check out Workshop series.

Also worth reading

Infographic

The infographic National Cannabis Survey, 2^nd quarter 2018 details cannabis use by Canadians aged 15 years and older living in Canada's ten provinces and the three territorial capital cities. Stay tuned for more interesting statistics on Cannabis in the coming months.

Free Statistics Canada Webinars

Statistics Canada is delighted to invite you to our three upcoming free online learning sessions on:

• Navigating Statistics Canada's Website
• The 2016 Census of Population – Geography & Maps
• Exploring Statistics Canada Data with the Beyond 20/20 Browser

Please note: Advanced registration is required.
As spaces are limited, please register early!

Navigating Statistics Canada's Website

This webinar will provide you with a tour of our website assist you with searching the data holdings and show you how to locate and download data with ease. During the webinar, we will:

• Explore the main sections of the website, including The Daily, Key Indicators, Information and Services, and Features
• Browse data by subject
• Access data, analytical products and reference materials through searching, sorting and filters
• Find information by geography
• Customize retrieved data

This is an introductory webinar. It may be too basic for advanced data users.

• Wednesday September 19, 2018, 1:00 p.m.to 2:00 p.m. EST – French – Register
• Thursday September 20, 2018, 1:00 p.m.to 2:00 p.m. EST – English – Register

The 2016 Census of Population – Geography & Maps

This webinar will provide you with an overview of the:

• Geographic concepts & coding
• Geographic tools – GeoSuite and GeoSearch
• Maps and other reference products available from the 2016 Census of Population releases

This is an introductory webinar. It may be too basic for advanced data users.

• Tuesday, October 16, 2018 1:00 p.m.to 2:00 p.m. EST – English – Register
• Wednesday, October 17, 2018, 1:00 p.m.to 2:00 p.m. EST – French – Register

Exploring Statistics Canada Data with the Beyond 20/20 Browser

This webinar will provide you with basic knowledge on Beyond 20/20. This user-friendly software is used at Statistics Canada to organize, manage, and disseminate socioeconomic data. The webinar covers basic functionalities of Beyond 20/20 such as:

• Re-arranging dimensions
• Nesting dimensions
• How to Show/Hide items
• Sorting information
• Saving tables in different file formats (IVT, CSV, XLS, etc.)

This is an introductory webinar. It may be too basic for advanced data users.

• Wednesday November 14, 2018, 1:00 p.m.to 2:00 p.m. EST – English – Register
• Thursday November 15, 2018 1:00 p.m.to 2:00 p.m. EST – French – Register