Planned spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of the department's planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2023–24 with actual spending for the current year and the previous year.

Planned spending

Departmental spending 2020–21 to 2025–26

The following graph presents planned spending (voted and statutory expenditures) over time.

Departmental spending graph

Statistics Canada is funded by two sources: direct parliamentary appropriations and cost-recovery activities. It has the authority to generate $120 million annually in respendable revenue, related to two streams: statistical surveys and related services, and custom requests and workshops. If exceeded, a request can be made to increase the authority, as was the case in the last few years.

In recent years, respendable cost-recovery revenue has contributed between $120 million and $156 million annually to the agency's total resources. A large portion of this respendable revenue comes from federal departments to fund specific statistical projects.

Statistics Canada's voted spending does not include Budget 2023 announcements. More information will be provided in the 2023–24 Supplementary Estimates and Departmental Results Report, as applicable. Resources do not reflect anticipated funding for the 2026 Census of Population and Census of Agriculture, which is expected to be approved in 2023–24 and would be the first year of funding.

Statistics Canada's statutory spending, as indicated in the graph above, relates to the Employee Benefit Plan, which is a function of planned salary spending. Therefore, it fluctuates along with voted spending.

Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

The following table shows information on spending for each of Statistics Canada's core responsibilities and for its internal services for 2023–24 and other relevant fiscal years.

Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

Core responsibilities and internal services	2020–21 actual expenditures	2021–22 actual expenditures	2022–23 forecast spending	2023–24 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates)	2023–24 planned spending	2024–25 planned spending	2025–26 planned spending
Statistical information	666,463,788	920,977,524	710,036,336	579,311,471	579,311,471	571,978,435	571,251,486
Internal services	78,844,148	89,989,424	104,960,965	72,783,788	72,783,788	70,296,376	67,980,043
Total gross expenditures	745,307,936	1,010,966,948	814,997,301	652,095,259	652,095,259	642,274,811	639,231,529
Respendable revenue	-123,989,068	-127,583,773	-156,259,603	-120,000,000	-120,000,000	-120,000,000	-120,000,000
Total net expenditures	621,318,868	883,383,175	658,737,698	532,095,259	532,095,259	522,274,811	519,231,529

The graph and table above show that spending peaked in 2021–22 when the 2021 Census of Population and Census of Agriculture were conducted. This is followed by a significant decrease in subsequent years as these activities wind down. This pattern is typical for the agency because of the cyclical nature of the Census Program. Funding for the 2026 Census has not yet been approved, and this amplifies the decrease in the overall planned spending. Funding for the 2026 Census of Population and Census of Agriculture is expected to be approved in 2023–24, which would be the first year of funding.

In addition, funding received for several initiatives from Budget 2021 and Budget 2022 decreases from 2022–23 to 2025–26.

Internal services spending from 2020–21 to 2022–23 includes planned resources from temporary funding related to an initiative approved in 2018–19 to migrate the agency's infrastructure to the cloud. The decrease in funding for outer years is largely because of ongoing funding related to cloud expenditures not yet secured and how the agency strategically manages its investments. Investments are managed centrally, by priority, within the statistical information core responsibility. Investment funding from past years will end in future years, while new investment decisions will be finalized only later in the year.

2023–24 budgetary gross and net planned spending summary (dollars)

The following table reconciles gross planned spending with net planned spending for 2023–24.

2023–24 budgetary gross and net planned spending summary (dollars)

Core responsibilities and internal services	2023–24 gross planned spending	2023–24 planned revenues netted against spending	2023–24 planned net spending
Statistical information	579,311,471	-120,000,000	459,311,471
Internal services	72,783,788	0	72,783,788
Total	652,095,259	-120,000,000	532,095,259

Planned human resources

The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for each of Statistics Canada’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for 2023–24 and the other relevant years.

Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services

Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services

Core responsibilities and internal services	2020–21 actual full-time equivalents	2021–22 actual full-time equivalents	2022–23 forecast full-time equivalents	2023–24 planned full-time equivalents	2024–25 planned full-time equivalents	2025–26 planned full-time equivalents
Statistical information	6,099	7,186	6,873	5,415	5,389	5,367
Internal services	684	713	787	610	584	564
Total gross FTEs	6,783	7,899	7,660	6,025	5,973	5,931
Respendable revenue	-1,340	-1,542	-1,640	-1,189	-1,189	-1,189
Total net FTEs	5,443	6,357	6,020	4,836	4,784	4,742

Similar to trends seen in planned spending, changes in full-time equivalents from year to year are largely explained by the cyclical nature of the Census Program. Activity peaked in 2021–22, when the 2021 Census of Population and Census of Agriculture were conducted, and decreases sharply thereafter as these activities wind down.

Estimates by vote

Information on Statistics Canada's organizational appropriations is available in the 2023–24 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The future‑oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of Statistics Canada's operations for 2022–23 to 2023–24.

The forecast and planned amounts in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

A more detailed future-oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on Statistics Canada's website.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ending March 31, 2024 (dollars)

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ending March 31, 2024 (dollars)

Financial information	2022–23 forecast results	2023–24 planned results	Difference (2023–24 planned results minus 2022–23 forecast results)
Total expenses	908,684,680	756,935,666	-151,749,014
Total revenues	156,259,603	120,000,000	-36,259,603
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers	752,425,077	636,935,666	-115,489,411

The decrease in planned expenditures for 2023–24 is explained mainly by four factors: a decrease in funding received for the 2021 Census Program, which was going through its dissemination period in 2022–23; a decrease in revenue related to cost-recovered statistical services, which directly impacts the planned spending; new initiatives announced in Budget 2021 for which work continued throughout 2022–23; and the end of the cloud migration project in 2022–23.

The decrease in planned revenue for 2023–24 is mainly due to the reduction of cyclical cost-recovered statistical services.