Who/what is surveyed: all Canadian citizens and landed immigrants; refugee claimants and persons in Canada on student visas or work permits were also enumerated in 1996.

How the data is collected: labour market and income data are collected from a 20% sample of the population aged 15 and over excluding institutional residents, through self-enumeration, or by canvasser enumeration in remote and northern areas of the country and on Indian reserves.

Geographic detail: Canada, provinces and territories, counties, federal electoral districts, census metropolitan areas, census agglomerations (urban centres with a population from 10,000 to 99,999), municipalities, census consolidated subdivisions, enumeration areas, census tracts (neighbourhoods) and block faces (geocoding allows data users to obtain estimates for very specific geographic areas)

Demographic detail: age, sex, marital status, household relationship, ethnic and cultural origin, mother tongue, language spoken at home, knowledge of official languages, place of birth, citizenship and period or year of immigration

1. occupation (approximately 500 codes)
2. industry (approximately 400 codes)
3. class of worker (paid worker, self-employed, unpaid family worker)
4. place of work and mode of transportation (employed labour force)
5. number of full-time and/or part-time weeks worked in calendar year preceding census
6. labour market activities in week preceding census
7. actual hours worked in week preceding census
8. unpaid work
9. employment income: wages and salaries, net non-farm self-employment income, and net farm income
10. government transfer payments: Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement, Canada/Quebec Pension Plan Benefits, Employment Insurance Benefits, Child Tax Benefits, and other government transfers
11. other money income: investment income, retirement pensions and other income
12. total income from various sources for individuals, families and households

Frequency: With the 1986 Census, labour market and income data have been collected every 5 years (quinquennial census). Prior to that, they were collected every 10 years (decennial census).

Sample size: A 20% sample of the Canadian population (for the labour and income data)

Data availability: combined industry/occupation data since 1881, wage and salary data since 1901, labour force data since 1951, employment income and total income since 1961

Reference period: the previous calendar year for income and weeks worked; the week before Census Day for labour force activity and for class of worker, occupation and industry of employed persons; the previous 17 months for class of worker, occupation and industry of persons not employed the week before Census Day

Release dates: employment and unemployment data from the 1996 Census were available 22 months after Census Day; income data were available 24 months after Census Day

Response rates: approximately 95% (varies according to question)

What makes the data valuable:

1. extensive geographic and characteristic detail
2. many characteristics available for cross-tabulation
3. includes the Yukon and the Northwest Territories
4. consistent historical database
5. accurate data
6. ability to derive new variables and create custom tabulations

Products and services:

For detailed census information, see http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/info/census96.cfm

1996 Census labour and income products:

1. Labour Market Activities including Industry and Occupation, Household Activities, Place of Work and Mode of Transportation, Catalogue no. 93F0027XDB96000
2. Sources of Income, Earnings and Total Income, Family and Household Income, Catalogue no. 93F0029XDB96000
3. Labour Characteristics of the Canadian Population, Catalogue no. 94F0024XDB
4. Unpaid Work Profile, Catalogue no. 94F0025XDB
5. Profile of Occupations, Catalogue no. 94F0026XDB
6. Profile of Industries, Catalogue no. 94F0027XDB
7. Occupation by Industry with Employment Income, Catalogue no. 94F0028XDB
8. Workplace Location Tables, Catalogue no. 94F0029XDB
9. Mode of Transportation Tables, Catalogue no. 94F0030XDB
10. Total Income of Individuals, Catalogue no. 94F0018XDB
11. Employment Income of Individuals, Catalogue no. 94F0019XDB
12. Wages and Salaries of Paid Workers, Catalogue no. 94F0020XDB
13. Income of Census Families and Non-Family Persons, Catalogue no. 94F0021XDB
14. Low Income Among Children, Families and Population, Catalogue no. 94F0022XDB
15. Income of Private Households, Catalogue no. 94F0023XDB

1991 Census labour and income publications:

16. Labour Force Activity, Catalogue no. 93-324-XPB
17. Labour Force Activity of Women by Presence of Children, Catalogue no. 93-325-XPB
18. Occupation, Catalogue no. 93-327-XPB, (according to the 1980 Standard Occupational Classification)
19. Industry and Class of Worker, Catalogue no. 93-326-XPB, (according to the 1980 Standard Industrial Classification)
20. Selected Income Statistics (for individuals, families and households), Catalogue no. 93-331-XPB
21. Employment Income by Occupation, Catalogue no. 93-332-XPB
22. Place of Work, Catalogue no. 93-323-XPB
23. Female Baby Boomers: A Generation at Work, Catalogue no. 96-315-XPE
24. The Self-employed, Catalogue no. 96-316-XPE
25. The Earnings of Canadians, Catalogue no. 96-317-XPE
26. Family Income in Canada, Catalogue no. 96-318-XPE
27. Occupation according to the 1991 Standard Occupational Classification, Catalogue no.92-344-XPE
28. Occupation according to the National Occupational Classification, Catalogue no. 93-352-XPE

1986 Census trends publications:

29. Occupational Trends, 1961-1986, Catalogue no. 93-151-XPB, (according to the 1971 Standard Occupational Classification)
30. Industry Trends, 1951-1986, Catalogue no. 93-152-XPB, (according to the 1970 Standard Industrial Classification)

All censuses:

31. Statistical profile of Canadian communities, available on Statistics Canada's Web site.

32. Articles in Perspectives on Labour and Income,Catalogue no. 75-001-XPE, quarterly paper edition and Catalogue no. 75-001-XIE, monthly online edition.

33. Technical reports or user guides: Summary reports for selected variables are available on the Internet at http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/info/census96.cfm
34. Machine-readable summary tables, profiles: The 1996 summary and profile tables are designed to meet the needs of users who wish to study the characteristics of small areas. Summary tables generally feature two or three interrelated variables (for example, labour force activity by age and sex), while profile tables provide basic univariate distributions. Data are available on CD-ROM, diskette and hard copy. Refer to the 1996 Census Catalogue (Catalogue no. 92-350).

35. The 1996 public use microdata files contain a wide selection of social, cultural, labour and income data on the population of Canada, the provinces and selected metropolitan areas with a population of 250,000 or more. Data files are available at the individual (Catalogue no. 95M0010XCB), family (Catalogue no. 95M0012XCB) or household (Catalogue no. 95M0011XCB) level.

36. For a complete list of all 1996 Census products and services, consult the 1996 Census Catalogue (Catalogue no. 92-350) or the Statistics Canada online Catalogue of Products and Services.

37. The special tabulations service develops products that meet clients’ exact requirements in terms of content, geography, format and output medium.

Responsible: Statistics Canada Regional Office