Economic and Social Reports

Insights

Estimates of the economic activity in and around flooded areas in British Columbia

This article provides an indication of the proportion of economic activity that could have been directly affected following the flooding in British Columbia due to rainfall from November 13 to 15, 2021. Experimental estimates of the value of output based on firm locations in Abbotsford-Chilliwack, in Merritt and in Princeton were used to assess the potential size of the disruption to the local economies.

Across these three areas, the firm locations most likely to have been directly affected by flooding accounted for 0.9% of BC’s GDP in 2018. While it is a small share of the BC economy, the firms in and around flooded areas account for 15.0% of the economy of the Fraser River Valley, 4.6% of the economy of Thompson-Nicola and 6.2% of the economy of Okanagan-Similkameen.  Additionally, the flooding in the Sumas Prairie affected areas that constitute an important share of animal herds and avian flocks in BC.

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International students as a source of labour supply: Engagement in the labour market after graduation

The opportunity to work in Canada after graduation and to potentially become permanent residents is considered a draw factor for prospective international students. This article, by researchers from Statistics Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, examines the labour market engagement of international students through the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP).

While the share of post-graduation work permit (PGWP) holders with positive T4 earnings remained fairly stable, the number of PGWP holders with T4 earnings grew from 10,300 in 2008 to 135,100 in 2018. Almost three-quarters of all PGWP holders became permanent residents within five years of having obtained their PGWP.

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Research article

Business ownership among persons with disabilities in Canada

People with disabilities face challenges and barriers in the labour market that can negatively impact their earnings. A potential solution to low labour force participation rates is self-employment or owning a business. In 2017, 1.3% of individuals claiming the disability tax credit (DTC) were owners of unincorporated businesses and 1.2% were owners of incorporated businesses. This study also shows that business owners that claim the DTC tend to be older, and a slightly higher share tend to be women. A small proportion of business owners with disabilities are immigrants.

Using the Canadian Employer-Employee Dynamics Database, this is the first study to evaluate the intersection of the sociodemographic characteristics of business owners with disabilities in Canada. The study also examines the attributes of the businesses they own.

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