June 2026
Spotlight on data and research
Socioeconomic and Dwelling Characteristics of Canadian Households Using Alternative Energy Sources
This new study examined the demographic, economic and housing characteristics of Canadian households that use alternative energy. In 2021, about 1% of all Canadian households reported using at least one type of alternative energy. Among households that reported using alternative energy, solar power was the most common source (23%), followed by geothermal energy (11%) and then other sources such as wind or biofuels (10%).
Analysis showed variation in the composition of households that used and did not use alternative energy sources. Seniors-only households made up 36% of users, compared with 22% of non-users. Households with adults and children made up a smaller share of users (18%) than non-users (28%). Nearly 9 in 10 (89%) households using alternative energy lived in single-detached homes, compared with 73% of non-users. In addition, 68% of users lived in their home for 10 years or more, compared with 53% of non-users.
Insights
From research labs to departure gates: Retention and labour market outcomes of foreign postdoctoral fellows in Canada
Postdoctoral researchers, many of whom are foreign-born and hold temporary resident status, play an important role in advancing scientific research and supporting the productivity of Canadian research institutions. This study examines the admission patterns, retention rates, and labour market outcomes of foreign postdoctoral fellows who entered Canada as temporary foreign workers under the International Mobility Program.
Annual inflows of foreign postdoctoral fellows ranged from about 2,000 to 3,300 during the 2000s and 2010s but declined between 2021 and 2024. Among those who received their first work permit between 2000 and 2004, about 28% obtained permanent residency within ten years of arrival. This share fell to 22% among those who first arrived between 2010 and 2014. For those who became permanent residents, active presence in Canada—measured by income tax filing—declined gradually over time.
Research articles
Workforce aging in Canada: Insights from firm-level data
Canada’s workforce is aging, raising questions about its impact on business performance. This study measures workforce aging at the firm level using two indicators—the average age of workers and the share of workers aged 55 and older—and examines how workforce age composition varies across firms by industry, firm size, and province or region.
The results show a substantial shift toward older workers between 2001 and 2022. For example, over this period, the proportion of firms with an average worker age above 40 increased by more than 16 percentage points, rising from 26.2% to 42.3%. By 2022, more than four in ten Canadian businesses had an average worker age exceeding 40 years.
In addition, the study finds that the share of workers aged 55 and older more than doubled over the study period, increasing from 9.3% in 2001 to 18.8% in 2022. In other words, nearly one in five workers in a typical business was aged 55 or older in 2022.
The early learning and child care industry in Canada: An update to the 2021 report
The Canada Wide Early Learning & Child Care (CWELCC) system began in 2021 and aimed to support the creation of 250,000 additional child care spaces while lowering child care fees to $10 per day by 2026. This study provides updates to a 2021 report which calculated, for the first time, the gross domestic product (GDP) associated with the early learning and child care industry through 2016. This new study captures the implementation of the CWELCC.
The GDP of the early learning and child care industry was $23.2 billion in 2022, up from $15.2 billion in 2016, with much of the growth occurring after the implementation of the CWELCC system in 2021. The study found that the child care industry has been consolidating into fewer larger businesses, reflected by a drop in the number of unincorporated businesses and an increase in the percentage of gross domestic product generated by incorporated businesses. These incorporated businesses are typically associated with centre-based child care, rather than home-based child care.
Related publications
Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series
- Date modified: