April 2025
Spotlight on data and research
How tariffs are conceptually reflected in key economic statistics
The effects of tariffs on Canadian exports or on imports into Canada will, over time (as they affect economic activities), be reflected in various statistical estimates published by Statistic Canada. This article outlines how these effects are captured across key statistical programs, such as the Consumer Price Index, various producer price indexes, retail and manufacturing sales and key macroeconomic indicators, including the balance of payments, gross domestic product, supply and use tables, and government finances.
Recent trends in United States temporary foreign workers in Canada
The movement of temporary foreign workers between the United States and Canada is an important yet understudied aspect of North American labour mobility. This new study examines the numbers and characteristics of temporary foreign workers who were U.S. citizens or previous U.S. non-citizen residents.
During the 2010 to 2023 period, the number of U.S. non-citizen temporary workers holding work permits for employment purposes increased from 3,700 to 17,400. In contrast, the number of U.S. citizen temporary workers declined from 61,700 to 38,900. These groups exhibited distinct characteristics: U.S. non-citizens were concentrated in professional, scientific, and technical service industries, whereas U.S. citizens were over-represented in educational services, information and cultural industries, and arts, entertainment and recreation.
In 2022, 69% of U.S. non-citizen temporary workers had paid employment income in Canada, compared with 35% of U.S. citizen temporary workers. Among those reporting employment income, U.S. non-citizens had a median earning of $107,600, while U.S. citizens earned $75,900—both significantly higher than the $42,500 median earnings among temporary workers from all other countries.
Postsecondary enrolment rates by parental income: National and sub-national trends from 2001 to 2022
This article shows that postsecondary enrolment rates among 19-year-olds increased from 46.7% in 2001 to 59.5% in 2019. The increase was higher during this period among youth from families in lower income quintiles (e.g. 11.9 percentage points among youth from families in the bottom income quintile, compared to 6.0 percentage points among their counterparts in the top income quintile). From 2019 to 2022, postsecondary education enrolment rates declined moderately, both overall and across the income distribution. In 2022, 58.3% of youth aged 19 were enrolled in postsecondary education, but a large gap existed across income levels—75.2% of those in the top income quintile were enrolled, compared with 43.2% of their counterparts in the bottom income quintile.
As was the case in Canada as a whole, postsecondary enrolment rates varied substantially across the income distribution in each province in 2022. The gap in enrolment rates between youth in the top income quintile and those in the bottom quintile was lowest in British Columbia (22.0 percentage points), followed by Ontario (28.5 percentage points) and Prince Edward Island (30.6 percentage points). The largest gaps were registered in New Brunswick (45.3 percentage points), Manitoba (44.6 percentage points), and Newfoundland and Labrador (43.5 percentage points).
Insights
Unit labour cost growth, inflation and productivity growth in Canada and the United States
The unit labour cost (ULC) measures the average labour costs of a product and is used to compare price competitiveness across countries. This study shows that in Canada, the ULC growth increased from 2.4% per year before the COVID-19 pandemic (1981-2019) to 6.0% per year for 2020 and 2021 and 4.7% for 2022 and 2023. Also, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the ULC growth in Canada has been significantly higher than the inflation rate, especially in 2020 and 2021. In contrast, the ULC growth was much lower than the inflation rate in the United States during the same period.
After decomposing ULC growth in the Canadian business sector into its sources, this article finds that Canada’s negative labour productivity growth since the pandemic has been the key driver of its accelerated ULC growth.
Mapping the importance of urban and rural economies in Canada: Experimental grid square-based gross domestic product and gross domestic income
This study is the first to use 1km x 1km grid squares to measure the entire Canadian economy. By combining extensive data on individual businesses with detailed information on the location of economic activity, it creates a detailed portrait of urban and rural economies in 2019.
The findings show that about 23% of Canada’s gross domestic product is produced in rural areas, which also receive nearly 20% of wages (i.e., labour compensation). It also shows that about 60% of rural production occurs in areas that are relatively close to major markets, such as southern Ontario, central Alberta surrounding Calgary and Edmonton, and the lower mainland of British Columbia.
These estimates are based on newly developed experimental measures of economic output and income at a very fine geographic scale that can be used to examine how economic disruptions might influence local economies (e.g., climate-related events like flooding and wildfires).
Research article
Culture industries in Canada: Exploring firm dynamics and measurement
Technological change has created opportunities and challenges for firms in the cultural industries, which include film and video production, broadcasting and performing arts. This study examines the evolution of cultural firms in Canada, analyzing their composition across jurisdictions and across the cultural supply chain, and how technology may play a role in this evolution.
Using firm-level data from 2008 to 2020, the paper presents a comparison between unincorporated firms—typically representing smaller, entrepreneur-run businesses involved in content creation—and incorporated firms, which are typically larger and more established.
Over time, small unincorporated firms made up an increasingly large percentage of cultural firms, consistent with a decrease in barriers to enter creative industries. These small unincorporated firms also seem less affected by the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic; in 2020, the number of unincorporated firms decreased by 3.6% versus 8.6% for incorporated firms.
Related publications
Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series
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