Overall labour force participation rate projected to decline in all provinces
- In 2013, Alberta had the highest overall labour force participation rate of all the provinces, at 73.1% followed by Saskatchewan, at 70.0%. By contrast, Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest rate, at 61.2%.
- According to all the projection scenarios for the labour force, the overall participation rate could decline in all the provinces until 2031. However, this decrease could be more rapid in the Eastern provinces and Quebec than in Ontario or the Western provinces. Furthermore, the gap between Eastern and Western Canada could widen, especially depending on future levels of interprovincial migration.
| Region | 2013 | 2031 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low growth | Constant participation rates (2008) | Recent trends (1999 to 2008) | High growth | Long-term trends (1990 to 2008) | ||
| percentage | ||||||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 61.2 | 49.4 | 48.1 | 49.0 | 48.7 | 46.6 |
| Prince Edward Island | 69.3 | 62.1 | 57.7 | 61.8 | 61.4 | 58.5 |
| Nova Scotia | 63.8 | 57.1 | 54.1 | 56.8 | 56.6 | 54.1 |
| New Brunswick | 63.2 | 57.8 | 54.4 | 57.5 | 57.1 | 54.7 |
| Quebec | 65.2 | 58.7 | 56.5 | 58.7 | 58.7 | 56.2 |
| Ontario | 66.4 | 63.7 | 62.3 | 63.7 | 63.7 | 60.8 |
| Manitoba | 68.7 | 65.4 | 62.9 | 65.3 | 65.4 | 62.2 |
| Saskatchewan | 70.0 | 65.5 | 62.5 | 65.2 | 64.9 | 61.8 |
| Alberta | 73.1 | 69.0 | 69.2 | 68.8 | 68.7 | 65.7 |
| British Columbia | 64.1 | 61.8 | 60.3 | 61.7 | 61.7 | 59.0 |
| Canada | 66.5 | 62.6 | 61.1 | 62.6 | 62.5 | 59.7 |
|
Note(s): The three territories are excluded from the analysis. Source(s): Statistics Canada. 2011. Projected trends to 2031 for the Canadian labour force, catalogue no. 11-010-X, scenarios A, B, C, D, E and Canadian Labour Force Survey, catalogue no. 71-544-X, 2013, CANSIM table 282-0002. |
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