Quality of Employment in Canada
Access to managerial occupations, 2023
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In 2023, there were 1.1 million managers aged 35 years and older across Canada, encompassing employees whose occupations involved management responsibilities such as legislators, senior managers, and middle managers. Access to managerial occupations, however, is not always equitable and can serve as a yardstick for measuring fair treatment in employment. Notably, although the proportion of managers who are women has risen over time, there continued to be fewer female employees (443,000; 39.0%) holding management positions than male employees (693,000; 61.0%) in 2023.
The share of employees in managerial occupations in different population groups provides insight into their degree of influence and authority in decision-making in the economy and society. Hourly wages in this occupational category also tend to be higher. An under-representation of certain population groups in management occupations may signal the presence of societal barriers, such as discrimination and occupational segregation, that hinder advancement in the workplace.
The article focuses specifically on paid employees since access to management occupations depends on hiring and promotion decisions that are in good part outside their control. While self-employed workers can also face barriers such as discrimination, or a lack of access to professional networks, which can affect their career development, self-employed men and women tend to have more control over the decision to take on more managerial tasks.
The estimates and analyses presented in the historical trends section are based on annual averages from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for employees aged 35 and older,Note while the recent snapshot focuses on 2021 Census of Population data for the same age group.
Historical trends, 1987 to 2023
In 1987—the year when data on the number of employees by occupation became available in the LFS—there were 438,000 managers aged 35 years and older in Canada. Women were underrepresented; while they accounted for 43.5% of all employees in this age group, they constituted 27.1% of employees in management occupations. In contrast, men comprised 72.9% of all managers aged 35 and older while accounting for 56.5% of all employees.
Over the next several years, the proportion of managers who were women increased, reaching 38.6% in 1998. This proportion subsequently fell back to 34.5% in 2002, but regained ground to reach 41.0% in 2011. The share of managers who were women hovered slightly below this level in the following decade. In 2020, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of managers aged 35 years and older who were women stood at 40.4%. By 2023, just under 2 in 5 managers (39.0%) were women, while men occupied the remaining 61.0% of management positions.
Management positions also continued to represent a comparatively smaller share of women’s overall employment in 2023, accounting for 8.4% of employment among female employees, whereas, among male employees, managerial occupations represented 12.8% of employment.
In 1987, women constituted 27.4% of managers in the public sector and 26.9% in the private sector. The share of women who are managers in each sector rose over time, with more notable growth recorded among managerial occupations in the public sector. The share of female managers in the public sector was 51.9% in 2023, compared to 35.2% in the private sector.
Women who are employees in management positions also have lower average hourly wages compared to their male counterparts. In 1997, when wage data first became available in the LFS, female managers in the public sector earned an average hourly wageNote of $42.31 per hour, while male managers earned $49.95 per hour. A similar pattern held in the private sector, where women earned an average of $32.65 per hour compared to $44.01 for male managers.
While the wage gap has declined over time in the public sector, female managers continued to earn a lower average hourly wage ($58.65) than their male counterparts ($61.19) in 2023. In the same year, this gender wage gap was more pronounced among managers in the private sector where women earned nearly $10 less per hour ($53.22 compared to $63.12 for male managers).
Data table for Chart 1
| Percent | |
|---|---|
| Notes: Due to rounding, estimates and percentages may differ slightly between different Statistics Canada products, such as analytical documents and data tables. Data are for employees aged 35 and older.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, custom tabulation. |
|
| 1987 | 27.1 |
| 1988 | 28.3 |
| 1989 | 29.8 |
| 1990 | 32.9 |
| 1991 | 31.9 |
| 1992 | 34.6 |
| 1993 | 34.7 |
| 1994 | 35.1 |
| 1995 | 34.9 |
| 1996 | 36.9 |
| 1997 | 36.3 |
| 1998 | 38.6 |
| 1999 | 35.4 |
| 2000 | 36.0 |
| 2001 | 36.1 |
| 2002 | 34.5 |
| 2003 | 37.4 |
| 2004 | 38.2 |
| 2005 | 38.0 |
| 2006 | 37.2 |
| 2007 | 39.0 |
| 2008 | 38.6 |
| 2009 | 39.8 |
| 2010 | 40.2 |
| 2011 | 41.0 |
| 2012 | 40.1 |
| 2013 | 39.0 |
| 2014 | 38.8 |
| 2015 | 39.0 |
| 2016 | 38.9 |
| 2017 | 38.5 |
| 2018 | 38.8 |
| 2019 | 39.0 |
| 2020 | 40.4 |
| 2021 | 40.1 |
| 2022 | 39.6 |
| 2023 | 39.0 |
A recent snapshot
The following section uses data from the 2021 Census of Population to examine access to managerial occupations among women, immigrants and racialized populations in more detail.
Women represent a majority of middle managers in health care
While female employees make up a smaller proportion of managers overall, they are overrepresented in some occupational groups. In 2021, among employees aged 35 and older, over three-quarters (77.0%) of specialized middle managers in health care were women—the largest proportion among the ten major occupational groups within the broad category of management. This was followed by managers in public administration, education and social and community services and in public protection services (62.2%) and specialized middle management occupations in administrative services, financial and business services and communication (55.4%). In the same year, middle management occupations in trades and transportation had the smallest proportion of women at 20.0%.
A smaller share of immigrants are employed in managerial occupations compared to their Canadian-born counterparts
Among recent immigrants—that is, persons who had landed in Canada five years earlier or less—9.5% of employees aged 35 and older were working in management occupations in 2021. This proportion was slightly higher than among those who had landed in Canada between 5 and 10 years prior (9.0%). Among established immigrants who had landed in Canada more than 10 years prior, 11.3% of employees were in managerial occupations. The share of employees in managerial occupations was higher for those who were born in Canada (14.0%) than for all three immigrant groups.
In 2021, the share of management jobs held by women tended to be higher among immigrants who were more established. Among recently landed immigrants who were employees, 32.6% of managers aged 35 and older were women. This proportion reached 34.8% among those who had landed 5 to 10 years prior. Among established immigrants, the share of employees in managerial occupations who were women was 37.4%, closer to the rate observed for Canadian-born managers (42.6%). This suggests that women who are recent immigrants may experience unique barriers in accessing management positions, some of which can ease as they become more established.
A smaller share of Filipino and Black employees worked in managerial occupations in 2021
Among racialized groups, Korean Canadians aged 35 and older had one of the highest proportions of employees working in managerial occupations (13.6%) in 2021, followed by Japanese (13.5%), and Chinese (13.1%) employees. By comparison, among non-racialized and non-Indigenous employees, 14.1% were working in a management role—a proportion which was higher than for all racialized groups.
Among female Korean employees, 1 in 10 (10.7%) worked in a management role, a lower share than for their male counterparts (16.6%). Overall, Korean employees working in management positions were notably concentrated in the retail trade (20.8%) and accommodation and food services (15.0%) industries.
Filipino Canadians (5.3%) had the smallest share of employees who were working in managerial occupations in 2021. Filipino managers were most commonly working in the accommodation and food services (19.4%) and retail trade (19.1%) industries. In contrast with the pattern observed nationally, Filipino women accounted for the majority of Filipino managers (54.6%) aged 35 years or older.
In 2021, the proportion of Black employees holding a managerial position (6.8%) was also lower than for non-Indigenous and non-racialized employees. Considering the ten major occupational groups within the broad category of management, Black employees who were managers were most likely to be employed in specialized middle management occupations in administrative services, financial and business services and communication (31.7%) and middle management occupations in retail and wholesale trade and customer services (20.4%).
Data table for Chart 2
| Racialized group | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Notes: Due to rounding, estimates and percentages may differ slightly between different Statistics Canada products, such as analytical documents and data tables. The abbreviation "n.i.e." refers to "not included elsewhere". Data are for employees aged 35 and older. Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, custom tabulation. |
|
| Non-racialized and non-Indigenous | 14.1 |
| Korean | 13.6 |
| Japanese | 13.5 |
| Chinese | 13.1 |
| South Asian | 12.2 |
| Multiple racialized groups | 12.2 |
| Arab | 12.2 |
| West Asian | 11.4 |
| Racialized group, n.i.e. | 11.2 |
| Latin American | 9.4 |
| Southeast Asian | 7.1 |
| Black | 6.8 |
| Filipino | 5.3 |
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Information on the indicator
Description or definition
The access to managerial occupations indicator measures the proportion of employees aged 35 and older in diverse population groups (e.g., women, immigrants, and racialized populations) who are in management occupations. It includes both legislative and senior management occupations as well as middle management occupations (National Occupational Classification 2021 LFS variant – broad occupational category 0).
The proportion of managers who are women is also used as an indicator to better understand women’s ability to access management positions.
Source
Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, 1987 to 2023.
Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021.
Information for interpretation
For more information on the Labour Force Survey (LFS) methodology and population coverage, please consult the Guide to the Labour Force Survey, 2020.
The LFS estimates are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling variability. The analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Due to rounding, estimates and percentages may differ slightly between different Statistics Canada products, such as analytical documents and data tables.
Occupations are coded according to the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021, LFS variant.
The industry coding is based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2017.
Data for men and women from the 2021 Census of Population are based on the concept of gender. Gender refers to an individual's personal and social identity as a man, woman or non-binary person (a person who is not exclusively a man or a woman). The gender category "Men+" includes men (and/or boys), as well as some non-binary persons. The gender category "Women+" category, includes women (and/or girls), as well as some non-binary persons.
The LFS currently uses the concept of sex at birth (male or female) which refers to the sex assigned at birth which is typically determined by a person's reproductive system and other physical characteristics. Statistics Canada plans to release LFS data by gender in the near future.
Other related information
Additional Statistics Canada data are available on the following subjects:
Employment by occupation, industry or sector
Immigrants in the labour market
Women in the labour market
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