This labour market fact sheet includes an analysis of current data for Canada and the provinces on:
Full- and part-time employment;
Temporary employment;
Working hours; and
the Consumer Price Index.
Other labour market fact sheets examine data on labour force rates − participation, employment, unemployment − and on weekly earnings and minimum wage rates.
Full- and Part-time Employment
Full-time employment is defined as work of 30 hours or more per week;
part-time employment is work of less than 30 hours per week.
13.5 million Canadians (82%) were employed full-time in 2006, while 2.9 million worked part-time (18%).
Workers Employed
Full- and Part-time,
Canada and Provinces, 2006
Full-time
Part-time
CAN
13,509,700
2,974,700
NF & LB
183,000
32,600
PEI
57,700
10,900
NS
358,800
83,000
NB
298,300
57,100
QC
3,079,400
686,100
ON
5,340,900
1,151,800
MB
471,200
115,800
SK
400,100
91,500
AB
1,570,100
300,600
BC
1,750,200
445,300
Source: Statistics Canada. Labour Force
Historical Review, 2006.
Between 2000 and 2006, the number of full-time workers in Alberta rose by 18.1%, while the number working part-time rose by 21.5% − the largest increases among the provinces. Saskatchewan reported the smallest gains; over this six-year period, the number of full-time workers in Saskatchewan rose by only 3.8%, while the number of part-time workers increased by 5.1%.
Among young adults aged 15 to 24 who were employed in 2006, 56% worked full-time and 44% worked part-time.
Similarly, 56% of employed seniors worked full-time in 2006, while 43.4% worked part-time. Since 2000, there has been a marked increase in the number of employed seniors − an increase of over 50% in the number of both full-time and part-time senior workers.
The proportion of full- and part-time workers varied by gender. In 2006, 89% of employed men worked full-time and 11% worked part-time. By comparison, 74% of working women had full-time employment, while 26% worked on a part-time basis. Among young adults 15 to 24 years of age, a higher proportion of women than men worked part-time − 51.5% compared to 36.6%. There was a similar pattern among employed seniors.
British Columbia had the highest proportion of part-time workers (20.3%) in 2006, while Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest (15.1%).
Temporary Employment
Temporary employment is work with a predetermined end date, such as the completion of a specific project. It includes seasonal employment, term or contract work, casual jobs, and other short-term work.
13% of Canada’s labour force had temporary employment in 2006 − usually with no access to benefits or pensions.
29% of young adults aged 15 to 24 who were employed in 2006 worked at temporary jobs, as did 23% of seniors aged 65+.
Among the provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest percentage of workers in temporary jobs (at 26.3%), and Alberta had the lowest percentage (at 10.4%).
Patterns of temporary employment did not vary significantly by gender. In 2006, 13.7% of women held temporary employment, compared to 12.3% of men.
Workers with
Temporary Employment, by Age Group,
Canada and Provinces, 2000 to 2006
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
CAN
Aged 15+
12.5%
12.8%
12.9%
12.4%
12.8%
13.2%
13.0%
15 to 24 yrs
29.1%
30.1%
29.6%
28.3%
29.3%
29.9%
29.2%
25 to 54 yrs
8.8%
8.9%
9.2%
8.8%
9.0%
9.3%
9.3%
55 to 64 yrs
9.8%
9.7%
10.0%
10.1%
9.5%
10.4%
10.2%
Aged 65+
19.2%
21.2%
18.6%
19.9%
21.6%
23.7%
22.8%
NF & LB
Aged 15+
26.9%
25.7%
25.1%
25.0%
26.2%
25.5%
26.3%
15 to 24 yrs
47.0%
49.1%
49.8%
46.7%
49.0%
42.2%
47.9%
25 to 54 yrs
23.3%
21.2%
20.2%
20.8%
21.8%
21.9%
21.8%
55 to 64 yrs
23.7%
25.2%
23.0%
22.1%
22.9%
26.8%
28.2%
Aged 65+
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
55.6%
0.0%
0.0%
PEI
Aged 15+
24.8%
23.9%
24.9%
25.1%
23.1%
22.7%
22.5%
15 to 24 yrs
41.0%
41.7%
42.2%
44.6%
43.3%
37.4%
39.1%
25 to 54 yrs
20.1%
19.1%
20.2%
19.4%
17.4%
17.6%
16.8%
55 to 64 yrs
23.1%
21.7%
21.3%
23.6%
22.1%
25.7%
23.2%
Aged 65+
0.0%
0.0%
40.0%
0.0%
60.0%
57.1%
37.5%
NS
Aged 15+
17.4%
17.7%
17.1%
17.5%
17.5%
16.7%
17.0%
15 to 24 yrs
37.2%
37.2%
35.7%
33.4%
34.9%
32.5%
33.1%
25 to 54 yrs
13.3%
13.3%
13.2%
13.7%
13.5%
12.9%
13.0%
55 to 64 yrs
13.7%
17.1%
14.4%
16.9%
14.3%
15.2%
16.1%
Aged 65+
0.0%
30.0%
21.7%
0.0%
33.3%
26.5%
27.9%
NB
Aged 15+
18.8%
17.7%
17.7%
18.2%
17.9%
17.4%
16.7%
15 to 24 yrs
34.6%
33.5%
32.8%
35.9%
35.1%
32.1%
31.4%
25 to 54 yrs
15.2%
13.9%
13.8%
13.7%
13.5%
13.6%
13.0%
55 to 64 yrs
18.5%
18.3%
18.4%
20.4%
19.0%
19.4%
17.2%
Aged 65+
0.0%
0.0%
38.9%
34.8%
38.1%
27.3%
42.1%
QC
Aged 15+
14.0%
14.7%
14.5%
13.7%
13.6%
14.3%
14.5%
15 to 24 yrs
31.9%
32.9%
31.1%
30.6%
28.8%
31.1%
31.8%
25 to 54 yrs
10.2%
10.9%
10.9%
9.9%
10.3%
10.7%
11.0%
55 to 64 yrs
11.0%
10.7%
12.1%
11.6%
10.5%
11.9%
11.6%
Aged 65+
0.0%
24.6%
15.4%
19.0%
21.9%
25.1%
20.1%
ON
Aged 15+
10.5%
10.9%
11.2%
10.9%
11.7%
12.5%
12.5%
15 to 24 yrs
28.4%
30.2%
30.4%
28.4%
31.9%
33.1%
32.2%
25 to 54 yrs
6.5%
6.7%
7.0%
7.1%
7.3%
8.1%
8.3%
55 to 64 yrs
8.1%
7.7%
8.1%
8.4%
7.8%
8.6%
8.6%
Aged 65+
18.6%
18.5%
18.2%
19.5%
19.7%
23.3%
26.6%
MB
Aged 15+
12.3%
11.8%
12.4%
11.3%
11.6%
11.8%
11.2%
15 to 24 yrs
28.5%
28.0%
29.4%
25.5%
26.9%
24.5%
23.8%
25 to 54 yrs
8.0%
7.6%
7.9%
7.5%
7.7%
8.4%
7.6%
55 to 64 yrs
9.7%
9.1%
9.5%
9.3%
8.5%
10.0%
9.1%
Aged 65+
22.0%
13.6%
23.8%
21.7%
29.4%
18.5%
25.0%
SK
Aged 15+
12.4%
12.7%
13.3%
11.9%
11.7%
11.5%
10.4%
15 to 24 yrs
25.3%
26.7%
26.9%
24.0%
23.1%
24.6%
22.4%
25 to 54 yrs
8.4%
8.7%
9.5%
8.4%
8.6%
7.8%
6.9%
55 to 64 yrs
11.9%
11.0%
10.4%
9.1%
8.3%
9.2%
8.5%
Aged 65+
26.5%
20.0%
26.5%
28.9%
19.5%
22.9%
16.7%
AB
Aged 15+
12.4%
11.8%
11.6%
11.3%
11.7%
11.5%
10.4%
15 to 24 yrs
25.8%
23.7%
23.1%
23.3%
23.1%
24.6%
22.4%
25 to 54 yrs
8.8%
8.3%
8.6%
7.9%
8.6%
7.8%
6.9%
55 to 64 yrs
10.3%
10.9%
8.9%
8.7%
8.3%
9.2%
8.5%
Aged 65+
19.3%
29.9%
18.3%
23.2%
19.5%
22.9%
16.7%
BC
Aged 15+
11.9%
12.5%
13.2%
12.2%
12.4%
11.9%
11.8%
15 to 24 yrs
25.7%
27.9%
27.5%
25.7%
25.9%
24.4%
23.3%
25 to 54 yrs
9.1%
9.4%
10.2%
9.4%
9.4%
8.9%
8.9%
55 to 64 yrs
8.5%
8.5%
9.3%
9.2%
9.7%
9.4%
9.4%
Aged 65+
23.1%
19.3%
16.8%
13.0%
22.7%
21.9%
17.2%
Source: Statistics Canada. Labour Force Historical Review,
2006.
Working Hours
In 2006, the largest proportion of workers (37.9%) spent 40 hours each week working at their main job. There was little variation across the country; rates were slightly higher in the western provinces, with Alberta having the highest proportion working 40 hours per week (42.7%).
In 2006, 9.2% of employed workers spent 50 hours or more each week working, down slightly from the previous year (9.4%). This percentage has been gradually declining since 2000, although it rose between 2003 and 2005.
Among the provinces in 2006, Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest proportion of people working 50+ hours each week (15.2%). Prince Edward Island followed at 14.4%, and Saskatchewan had 13.9%.
Consumer Price Index
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures changes over time in the costs of a fixed basket of commodities or goods. The basket is based on expenditures of a target population in a certain reference period, currently 2001. Since the basket contains commodities of equivalent quantity and quality, changes over time in the CPI for those items reflect pure price movements.
The population targeted by the CPI includes families and individuals living in private households in both urban and rural areas. Residents of the Territories outside of Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit are not represented by the Index.
