The Business and Community Newsletter – June 2022

Feature article

Honouring History, Heritage and Diversity: Spotlight on National Indigenous History Month

June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day

To mark National Indigenous History Month, we would like to highlight information on Indigenous Peoples that you can access through the Statistics on Indigenous Peoples hub.

You can also consult some of our most recent releases on Indigenous Peoples:

• Portrait of Youth in Canada: Indigenous Youth
• Projections of the Indigenous populations and households in Canada, 2016 to 2041
• Violent victimization and perceptions of safety: Experiences of First Nations, Métis and Inuit women in Canada
• Labour market impacts of COVID-19 on Indigenous people living off reserve in the provinces: March 2020 to August 2021

Canada's 2021 Census of Agriculture: A story about the transformation of the agriculture industry and adaptiveness of Canadian farmers

Large farms continue to change the face of the agriculture industry

Over time, farms have been evolving to become increasingly sophisticated businesses that harmonize automation, modernization and production operations. As a result, many farms have consolidated and become increasingly larger both in terms of sales and number of employees. Conversely, smaller and mid-sized farms are declining in Canada, thereby impacting the rural landscape and profile of Canadian regions.

Higher land values may represent a barrier to entry into the industry

The reported total market value of land and buildings for farms in Canada increased by 22.7% (in constant 2021 dollars) from the previous census, totalling $603.8 billion in 2021. The market value of owned land, buildings and fixed equipment increased by 19.1% from 2016, to $420.9 billion in 2021. The market value of land and buildings rented from others or governments totalled $182.9 billion in 2021, up 32.0% from 2016.

For more information check out Census of Agriculture

Net farm income, by province

This interactive visualization tool provides an overview of the Canada and provincial farm income data, featuring the top five year-over-year dollar change in cash receipts and gross operating expenses and the year-over-year dollar change in net farm income components.

Check out the Farm income, 2021 article in The Daily

Next major 2021 Census of Population release

Statistics Canada has started releasing 2021 Census of Population results, and is set to release data on Families, households and marital status- Income and Canadian military experience - on July 13, 2022.

Census of Environment: Ocean and coastal ecosystems, 2020

Two-thirds of the world's surface is covered by oceans, and many ocean ecosystems are still largely unknown—particularly those in the deep ocean.

Ocean and coastal areas over which Canada has jurisdiction—up to the boundary of its exclusive economic zone—cover 5.76 million square kilometres, of which 62% are located in the Arctic Ocean, 30% in the Atlantic Ocean and 8% in the Pacific Ocean.

Coastal ecosystems vulnerable to human activity and climate change

Many important ecosystems, such as salt marshes, seagrass meadows and kelp forests are found in coastal areas with water depths of 50 m or less. For millennia, these areas provided many benefits, including carbon capture as well as fish habitat and nursery services. However, human activities, such as those related to development, agriculture and shipping have caused the loss of many of these ecosystems.

In 2020, salt marsh ecosystems were estimated to cover a minimum of 1,114 km2 of the intertidal zone along Canada's coasts. Seagrass meadows were estimated to occupy 1,423 km2 of seabed, while kelp forests occupied an estimated 597 km2. These ecosystems are biodiversity hot spots and important carbon sinks.

Read the article - Census of Environment: Ocean and coastal ecosystems, 2020

Labour Force Survey May 2022

Employment increases in May

Employment rose by 40,000 (+0.2%) in May 2022, driven by full-time gains (+135,000; +0.9%).

Employment in the services-producing sector rose by 81,000 (+0.5%) in May, with gains spread across several industries, including accommodation and food services.

Employment in the goods-producing sector declined by 41,000 (-1.0%), mostly due to a decline in manufacturing (-43,000; -2.4%).

Employment increased in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Alberta. It declined in New Brunswick and was little changed in all other provinces.

Total hours worked were little changed in May, but were up 5.1% compared with 12 months earlier.

Average hourly wages increased 3.9% (+$1.18 to $31.12) on a year-over-year basis, up from 3.3% in April.

Unemployment rate reaches new record low

The unemployment rate edged down 0.1 percentage points in May, reaching a new record low of 5.1%.

The adjusted unemployment rate—which includes those who wanted a job but did not look for one—fell 0.2 percentage points to 7.0% in May, the lowest rate on record since comparable data became available in 1976.

Long-term unemployment accounted for 19.7% of all unemployment in May, up from 15.6% in February 2020.

Business

Canadian aviation amid the COVID-19 pandemic: Part 1. Impact on Canadian airlines

This is the first in a series of articles that will look at the impact of COVID-19 on aviation in Canada and examine whether there are signs of recovery up to the end of 2021. This first article focuses on Canada's large and medium airlines and finds that passenger airlines bore the brunt of the impact. The change in airline operations, such as the shift from passengers to cargo during the pandemic, is also examined.

Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, second quarter 2022

Businesses are faced with a variety of obstacles and future unknowns

Businesses expected to face challenges related to rising costs.

Prices of raw materials purchased by manufacturers operating in Canada, as measured by the Raw Materials Price Index, decreased 2.0% on a monthly basis in April 2022, and rose 38.4% year over year.

Nearly two-fifths (39.3%) of businesses expected transportation costs to be an obstacle over the next three months.

Nearly one-third (32.8%) of businesses expected the cost of insurance to be an obstacle over the next three months.

Supply chain challenges continue

Of businesses that expected supply chain challenges (difficulty maintaining inventory levels, or acquiring inputs, products or supplies domestically or abroad) over the next three months, over two-thirds (67.9%) reported that challenges experienced by the business have worsened over the last three months. Leading factors that contributed to worsened supply chain challenges were increased delays in deliveries of inputs, products or supplies (84.1%); increased prices of inputs, products or supplies (78.5%); and supply shortages resulting in fewer inputs, products or supplies being available (75.7%)

Read the article - Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, second quarter 2022

Did you know…

Health

Survey on Mental Health and Stressful Events, August to December 2021

About 8% of adults in Canada meet the criteria for probable post-traumatic stress disorder

Broken down by gender, 10% of women met the criteria for probable PTSD, which is almost twice as high as men (6%). The percentage of younger adults (18 to 24 years old) that met the criteria for probable PTSD was over four times higher than seniors (65 years and older). Specifically, 13% of younger adults met the criteria compared with 3% of seniors.

About four in five Canadians who met the criteria for probable posttraumatic stress disorder face challenges accessing care

More specifically, about two in five (39%) reported waiting too long between booking an appointment and attending their visit, 38% reported having one or more of their appointments cancelled, rescheduled or delayed due to the pandemic, and 37% mentioned cost of care as a barrier to accessing needed services.

As Canada continues to plan the "return to a new normal," it is important to note the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of Canadians. Health care systems across the country have adapted in many ways in response to the pandemic. They will need to continue to evolve to accommodate the missed, delayed and changing health care needs of Canadians in both the short term and the long term.

Podcasts

Eh Sayers Season 2 Episode 3 - Dude, Where's My Semiconductor?

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 it? Our guest, Andrew 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.

Apple | Spotify | Google Podcast | Amazon Music & Audible | Podcast Addict | Player FM | RSS Feed | StatCan website

Also worth reading

Infographics