Study: Interprovincial employment in Canada, 2002 to 2011
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Released: 2015-06-29
In 2011, 420,000 individuals aged 18 or older worked as interprovincial employees in Canada—that is, they had paid employment in one province or territory, but maintained their permanent residence in another. This accounted for 3.1% of the paid workforce in 2011. From 2002 to 2004, about 340,000 individuals were interprovincial employees, accounting for 2.7% of the paid workforce.
A new study documents the prevalence of interprovincial employment from 2002 to 2011 from the perspectives of both province of employment and province of residence—that is, 'receiver' and 'sender' provinces.
The number of interprovincial employees working in Alberta reached 132,000 in 2008. The number declined to about 100,000 in 2009 and 2010, and then rebounded to 111,000 in 2011. Interprovincial employees in Alberta received 3.7% of total wages and salaries paid in the province that year. Interprovincial employees working in Saskatchewan received a larger share of total wages and salaries paid in the province, at 4.5% in 2011. This was up from 2.5% in 2002 and 3.0% in 2008.
Interprovincial employment played a larger role in the three territories. In 2011, the share of total wages and salaries paid to interprovincial employees was 9.9% in Yukon, 18.9% in the Northwest Territories, and 22.6% in Nunavut.
In terms of the provinces in which interprovincial employees reside, smaller provinces received a larger share of total wages and salaries from other jurisdictions than did larger provinces. For example, in 2011, 8.5% of the total wages and salaries earned by all employees residing in Newfoundland and Labrador came from interprovincial employment. The percentages observed in the other Atlantic provinces were slightly lower, with Prince Edward Island at 6.2%, Nova Scotia at 4.5% and New Brunswick at 4.6%.
Interprovincial employment was more prevalent among men than women, and among younger workers than older workers.
Products
The research article "Interprovincial Employment in Canada, 2002 to 2011," which is part of Economic Insights (11-626-X), is now available from the Browse by key resource module of our website under Publications.
Similar studies are available in the Update on Social Analysis Research module of our website.
Contact information
For more information, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca).
To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact René Morissette (613-951-3638; rene.morissette@statcan.gc.ca), Social Analysis and Modelling Division.
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