Celebrating Labour Day: A snapshot of Canadian workers

Labour Day in Canada has been celebrated since the late 19th century. Since then, Canada’s workforce has grown to just under 21.3 million labourers in 2023.

To kick off this Labour Day weekend, let’s celebrate the contribution of labourers with a snapshot of Canada’s incredibly diverse, highly-educated workforce.

Canada has the most highly-educated workforce in the G7

Canada continued to rank first in the G7 for the share of working-age people (aged 25 to 64) with a college or university credential (57.5%) in 2021. A key factor in this is our strong college sector. Nearly one in four working-age Canadians (24.6%) had a college certificate or diploma or similar credential in 2021, more than in any other G7 country.

A rising share of working-age Canadians have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher. Over 6.4 million people, or approximately one-third of the working-age population, reported having a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2021, up 4.3% from 2016.

This increase was driven both by highly educated recent immigrants and by rising educational attainment among young adults. For example, in 2021, immigrants and non-permanent residents accounted for over half of the working-age population with an earned doctorate (55.8%), a master’s degree (52.2%) or a degree in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or optometry (50.8%), and accounted for 39.1% of those with a bachelor’s degree.

Increased demand for skilled trades workers

Although the working-age population with a bachelor’s degree or higher rose by nearly one-fifth (+19.1%) from 2016 to 2021, the number of working-age apprenticeship certificate holders has stagnated or fallen in three major trades fields—construction trades (+0.6%), mechanic and repair technologies (-7.8%) and precision production (-10.0%).

Over two-thirds (70.4%) of apprenticeship certificates in 2021 were in the key fields of construction trades (such as carpenters, electricians and plumbers), mechanic and repair technologies (auto mechanics) and precision production (welders).

These declines pose a challenge for industries relying on the skilled trades, as the number of younger entrants may not replace those retiring quickly enough.

This trend will likely continue as more baby boomers reach the age of retirement. For example, in 2021, 3 in 10 employed people (30.2%) with an apprenticeship in mechanic and repair technologies or precision production were aged 55 and older.

In 2021 and 2022, the demand for skilled trades workers reached record highs. Job vacancies in the occupational category of “trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations” that required at least a trades or apprenticeship credential nearly doubled from late 2019 to late 2021. Likewise, job vacancies in some related industries such as construction and fabricated metal product manufacturing reached record highs in 2022.

Unions and collective bargaining

In 2021, 3 in 10 employees in Canada (30.9%) were covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Women had a higher rate of union coverage at 33.2%—compared with 28.6% for men—and have made up a majority of workers covered by a collective bargaining agreement every year since 2008.

Still in 2021, the industries with the highest collective bargaining coverage rates were public administration (75.5%), educational services (74.2%), utilities (65.1%), and health care and social assistance (53.6%).

Diversity of Canada’s labour force

In 2023, 29.6% of Canadians in the labour force, or 6.3 million people, were part of a racialized group. This included 1.7 million South Asians, 1.1 million Chinese and 961,700 Black Canadians.

Canadians who were part of a racialized group had higher rates of labour force participation (71.1%) compared with those who were not part of a racialized group (63.4%). Canadians who were part of a racialized group were also more likely to be employed (66.2%) compared with those who were not part of a racialized group (60.4%). This is mostly attributable to the fact that the average age among the non-racialized population is older, with more people in retirement.

Women comprised almost half (47.5%) of the labour force in Canada in 2023. There were more Filipino, Chinese and Japanese women than men in the labour force.

Approximately three in five (59.5%) Indigenous people aged 15 and older were in the labour force in 2021, a rate which was lower than that seen among the non-Indigenous population (63.9%). However, this situation was reversed for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Among Indigenous people with a bachelor’s degree or higher, just over four-fifths (80.7%) were in the labour force, compared with 77.2% among the non-Indigenous population. 

Similarly, almost three-fourths (73.6%) of Indigenous people with an apprenticeship certificate were in the labour force in 2021, a rate higher than among the non-Indigenous population (68.5%). 

For more information, tools, reports and statistics on labour in Canada, check out Statistics Canada’s Labour statistics portal.