February 2026
Spotlight on data and research
Economic outcomes of provincial nominees: Differences between Express Entry and non-Express Entry
Since the late 2010s, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) has become the largest economic immigration program. In 2024, it accounted for 41% of all economic immigrants admitted to Canada. This study compares the education, intended occupations, and labour market outcomes of provincial nominees (PNs) screened through the Express Entry system (enhanced PNs) and those selected outside of Express Entry (base PNs).
In 2024, enhanced PNs represented 38% of all PNP principal applicants, up from 21% in 2016. Enhanced PN principal applicants were more likely to hold a university degree (78%) than base PN principal applicants (65%). Nearly all enhanced PN principal applicants intended to work in managerial, professional, or skilled and technical occupations, compared with approximately two-thirds of base PN principal applicants.
Estimates of gross domestic product by gender: An update to the 2022 report
This study provides updates to the 2022 report which calculated women’s and men’s contributions to gross domestic product (GDP). The new study investigates whether women’s contributions were disrupted differently than men’s during the COVID-19 pandemic years (2020 to 2023).
From 2019 to 2022, the share of men’s GDP decreased from 49.2% to 47.1% while women’s share decreased by relatively less (28.7% to 27.9%)—meaning that women’s contribution to GDP increased slightly relative to men. The proportion of GDP that could not be allocated to men or women (among firms where the gender of the owner was unknown) increased from 22.1% to 25.0% over the same period.
Insights
National and provincial retention of graduates from health degree programs in Canada
Retaining graduates from health degree programs is important for addressing national and regional shortages in the health care workforce. This article tracked their tax filing rates and region of residence in the years following graduation.
Tax filing rates were high among Canadian graduates (Canadian-born or permanent residents) who completed health degree programs from 2015 to 2021. Specifically, nearly all graduates from medicine, dentistry and optometry, and nursing programs (96%), and pharmacy and related programs (97%) filed tax returns three years after graduation, compared with 91% across all fields of study.
Research article
Firm size and labour productivity growth in Canadian residential construction
Canada has experienced a decline in labour productivity in the residential construction industry spanning a period of more than two decades. This study examines the evolution of labour productivity in residential construction from 2001 to 2023.
The study found that the industry was dominated by small firms, with those employing fewer than 20 workers accounting for two-thirds (66.1%) of total employment in 2023. Labour productivity growth, measured as real gross output per worker, declined by a cumulative 37.3% from 2001 to 2023—for a compound annual growth rate of -2.1% per year. The decline occurred across all firm sizes but was slightly larger among firms with fewer than 20 employees.
The Educational Pathways of First-Generation Postsecondary Students
Previous research shows that an individual's educational outcomes are closely associated with their parents' level of education. This study provides updated information on the educational attainment outcomes of youth based on the postsecondary qualification of their parents, using data from the school years 2010/11 to 2022/23.
The study classifies individuals into two groups. The first group includes potential first-generation‑postsecondary students, or those whose parents do not hold a postsecondary qualification, while at least one parent does among those in the second group—the potential non-first-generation students.
The study found that potential first-generation students enroll in postsecondary studies in lower proportions (59%) than potential non-first-generation students (75%) and are also less likely to graduate (69% versus 74%). This gap persists across types of educational qualification and age groups, as well as most racialized groups, except Arab and Filipino students. The gap was relatively larger for students pursuing a master’s degree than for an undergraduate degree or college-level qualification, as well as for Latin American and Black students when compared with other racialized groups.
Related publications
Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series
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