Indicators and targets: A diverse and highly skilled workforce

 Jobs and innovation: Tracking progress and results

Targets

  • Increase the share of science and technology-related jobs to 40% by 2025
  • Increase work-integrated learning opportunities for young Canadians
    • Create 84,000 new student work placements per year across Canada by 2023–24 (Budget 2019)
    • Provide 10,000 work-integrated learning placements to post-secondary students and graduates through Mitacs annually by 2021/22 (Budget 2017)

Canada has a highly educated and diverse workforce. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 57% of working age adults in Canada hold a post-secondary degree – the highest percentage in the OECD (OECD, 2018). Canada also has the most diverse workforce in the world, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF, 2018). These strong rankings reflect, in part, Canada's high level of spending on post-secondary education – the third highest in the OECD (OECD, 2018).

However, important skill gaps remain. Fewer than 50% of Canadian students graduate with senior course in STEM at a time when 70% of Canada's top jobs – from health care to skilled trades – require an education in those fields (Let's Talk Science, 2013). Canada ranks 21st in the OECD by the share of post-secondary graduates that studied natural sciences, engineering or information and communication technologies (ICT) (OECD, 2017) and 27% of enterprises in Canada reported "lack of skills" as an obstacle to innovating (Statistics Canada, 2018). To grow and scale-up, firms must be able to fill skills gaps.

In 2011 (latest international comparison), Canada's economy was not as science and technology-intensive as the economies of its peer countries. Figure 1.1 shows that Canada ranked 21st among OECD countries by the share of workers that held professional, science and technology-related jobs. Canada's performance has improved since then, with 34% of Canadian workers holding professional, science and technology-related jobs in 2018, an increase of over 3 percentage points since 2011 (Figure 1.2).

Figure 1.1: Professional, science and technology-related jobs as a share of total employment, selected OECD countries, 2011

Text version
Country Percent
Luxembourg 56.0%
Sweden 41.5%
Switzerland 41.1%
Denmark 40.6%
Netherlands 38.5%
Iceland 38.7%
Germany 37.3%
France 37.0%
United States 35.4%
Italy 30.6%
New Zealand 30.4%
Canada 30.0%
United Kingdom 28.1%
Spain 25.8%
Japan 14.9%
Average Top 5 OECD 43.6%
Target
Canada 40.0%

Sources:

Science, Technology and Innovation Council (2011)

Figure 1.2: Professional, science and technology-related jobsFootnote 1 as a share of total employment

Text version
- STEM jobs Other professional, S&T-related jobs All professional, S&T-related jobs
Total Share of jobs, by sex Total Share of jobs, by sex Total Share of jobs, by sex
Female Male Female Male Female Male
2000 6.7% 20.9% 79.1% 21.3% 66.9% 33.1% 28.0% 55.9% 44.1%
2001 6.8% 21.0% 79.0% 21.7% 66.7% 33.3% 28.5% 55.8% 44.2%
2002 6.8% 21.6% 78.4% 21.8% 66.7% 33.3% 28.6% 56.0% 44.0%
2003 6.6% 22.1% 77.9% 21.6% 66.6% 33.4% 28.2% 56.2% 43.8%
2004 6.6% 21.2% 78.8% 21.7% 67.1% 32.9% 28.2% 56.4% 43.6%
2005 6.8% 20.7% 79.3% 22.3% 67.5% 32.5% 29.1% 56.6% 43.4%
2006 6.8% 21.9% 78.1% 22.3% 66.7% 33.3% 29.1% 56.2% 43.8%
2007 7.0% 22.0% 78.0% 22.5% 67.0% 33.0% 29.5% 56.3% 43.7%
2008 6.9% 22.3% 77.7% 23.0% 67.1% 32.9% 29.9% 56.7% 43.3%
2009 6.9% 22.1% 77.9% 23.6% 67.0% 33.0% 30.5% 56.8% 43.2%
2010 7.2% 21.8% 78.2% 23.8% 67.0% 33.0% 31.0% 56.5% 43.5%
2011 7.2% 22.0% 78.0% 23.7% 66.8% 33.2% 30.9% 56.4% 43.6%
2012 7.2% 21.8% 78.2% 23.7% 67.6% 32.4% 31.0% 56.9% 43.1%
2013 7.4% 22.7% 77.3% 24.3% 68.0% 32.0% 31.7% 57.4% 42.6%
2014 7.6% 22.1% 77.9% 24.3% 68.0% 32.0% 31.8% 57.1% 42.9%
2015 7.8% 23.2% 76.8% 24.9% 66.9% 33.1% 32.7% 56.5% 43.5%
2016 7.8% 22.9% 77.1% 26.2% 68.0% 32.0% 34.0% 57.7% 42.3%
2017 7.8% 23.3% 76.7% 26.2% 68.1% 31.9% 34.0% 57.9% 42.1%
2018 7.9% 23.8% 76.2% 26.1% 68.4% 31.6% 34.1% 58.0% 42.0%
Target
2024 - - - - - - 40% - -

Sources:

Ensuring businesses have the right pipeline of talent to succeed means equipping Canadians with the tools, skills and experience they need to succeed and that meet industry needs. This includes encouraging more students to pursue studies in areas of high demand such as science and technology-related fields – particularly girls and women, since women are underrepresented among graduates in most STEM fields (Figure 1.3). Let's Talk Science has provided STEM programs in more than 1,700 communities and more than 40 percent of all schools in Canada, with a focus on engaging girls.

Figure 1.3: Number of graduates in selected STEM fields, by sex

Text version
Year Field of study Sex Number of graduates
2000 Physical and life sciences and technologies Male 10,992
2000 Physical and life sciences and technologies Female 12,636
2000 Physical and life sciences and technologies Sex unknown 0
2000 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Male 11,697
2000 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Female 5,805
2000 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Sex unknown 18
2000 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Male 26,301
2000 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Female 6,498
2000 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Sex unknown 27
2000 Total Male 48,990
2000 Total Female 24,939
2000 Total Sex unknown 45
2008 Physical and life sciences and technologies Male 12,123
2008 Physical and life sciences and technologies Female 15,390
2008 Physical and life sciences and technologies Sex unknown 6
2008 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Male 8,379
2008 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Female 3,552
2008 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Sex unknown 72
2008 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Male 34,830
2008 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Female 7,554
2008 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Sex unknown 72
2008 Total Male 55,332
2008 Total Female 26,496
2008 Total Sex unknown 150
2012 Physical and life sciences and technologies Male 13,716
2012 Physical and life sciences and technologies Female 16,044
2012 Physical and life sciences and technologies Sex unknown 6
2012 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Male 9,111
2012 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Female 3,663
2012 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Sex unknown 9
2012 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Male 45,345
2012 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Female 8,913
2012 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Sex unknown 54
2012 Total Male 68,172
2012 Total Female 28,620
2012 Total Sex unknown 69
2014 Physical and life sciences and technologies Male 14,550
2014 Physical and life sciences and technologies Female 17,292
2014 Physical and life sciences and technologies Sex unknown 6
2014 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Male 10,164
2014 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Female 4,125
2014 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Sex unknown 12
2014 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Male 51,198
2014 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Female 10,503
2014 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Sex unknown 45
2014 Total Male 75,912
2014 Total Female 31,920
2014 Total Sex unknown 63
2016 Physical and life sciences and technologies Male 14,688
2016 Physical and life sciences and technologies Female 18,513
2016 Physical and life sciences and technologies Sex unknown 9
2016 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Male 12,039
2016 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Female 4,752
2016 Mathematics, computer and information sciences Sex unknown 24
2016 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Male 58,893
2016 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Female 12,777
2016 Architecture, engineering and related technologies Sex unknown 96
2016 Total Male 85,620
2016 Total Female 36,042
2016 Total Sex unknown 129

Sources:

Statistics Canada, Table 37-10-0020-01

Notes:

Graduates include individuals who have successfully completed an education program at either college or university from the post-secondary non-tertiary to Doctoral or equivalent level.

UNESCO's International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) is the reference classification for organising education programmes and related qualifications by education levels and fields.

The government is committed to creating more co-op and work-integrated learning opportunities to better align learning with industry needs and to create partnerships where industry and academia collaborate to develop talent. For example, the government provided expanded support of $221 million in Budget 2017 for Mitacs, a not-for-profit organization that builds partnerships between industry and educational institutions, to facilitate the creation of 10,000 work-integrated learning placements a year by 2021/22 (Figure 1.4), reaching over 8,000 in 2018/19. In Budget 2019, the government further committed to creating an additional 84,000 new student work placements per year across Canada by 2023–24. This will mark a significant step to closing the gap between the number of young people who want a student work placement and the number currently able to secure one.

Figure 1.4: Number of Mitacs internships

Text version
Fiscal Year Number of Internships
2012/13 1,710
2013/14 1,762
2014/15 2,445
2015/16 4,622
2016/17 5,099
2017/18 8,096
Corporate Plan Target
2018/19 8,190
Overall Target
2021/22 10,000

Sources:

Mitacs Annual Reports

To keep up with the demands of the workplace in the face of changing technology, demographics and business models, it is essential that adults engage in lifelong learning and on-the-job training. As the pace of technological and economic change quickens, adults need to continually develop new professional skills. Figure 1.5 shows that Canada ranked 8th among OECD countries by adult participation in formal and non-formal education in 2015. To help working adults pay for training fees, Budget 2019 introduced the Canada Training Benefit.

Figure 1.5: Participation of native-born and foreign-born adults in formal and/or non-formal education for age 25-64, by gender, 2015, OECD countries

Text version
  Native-born adults and foreign-born adults who arrived in the country by the age of 25 Foreign-born adults who arrived in the country at 26 or older
OECD Men Women Total Men Women Total
New Zealand 68% 67% 67% 71% 67% 69%
Sweden 65% 69% 67% 48% 61% 55%
Denmark 64% 69% 67% 54% 61% 58%
Finland 63% 70% 66% n/a n/a 69%
Netherlands 67% 62% 65% 55% 53% 54%
Norway 63% 66% 64% 66% 63% 65%
United States 59% 60% 60% 62% 45% 53%
Canada 60% 59% 59% 52% 51% 52%
Australia 57% 55% 56% 57% 52% 55%
Israel 54% 55% 55% 39% 29% 33%
Germany 57% 51% 54% 39% 32% 35%
Estonia 48% 57% 53% n/a 42% 45%
Ireland 52% 49% 51% 56% 48% 52%
Korea 54% 46% 50% n/a n/a n/a
Czech Republic 53% 46% 50% n/a n/a n/a
Austria 51% 48% 49% 41% 29% 36%
Slovenia 47% 50% 49% 32% n/a 35%
Chile 53% 42% 48% n/a n/a n/a
Spain 47% 46% 47% 48% 38% 42%
Japan 48% 35% 42% n/a n/a n/a
France 37% 36% 36% 23% 31% 27%
Poland 35% 36% 35% n/a n/a n/a
Slovak Republic 34% 32% 33% n/a n/a n/a
Italy 27% 23% 25% n/a 18% 16%
Turkey 29% 16% 23% n/a n/a n/a
Greece 22% 19% 21% n/a n/a n/a
OECD average 51% 49% 50% 50% 47% 48%

Sources:

OECD. Education at a Glance 2018. Table A7.1

Canada's Indigenous populations generally experience lower labour force participation rates and higher unemployment rates than the general population, although there has been some improvement in recent years. For example, the employment rate gap between Indigenous persons with post-secondary credentials living on reserve and non-Indigenous persons with post-secondary credentials fell from 7.5% in 2015 to 5% in 2018 (Figure 1.6).  To help Indigenous people improve their skills and find employment, the government enhanced the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program in Budget 2018 to build on the success of its predecessor program, which provided job support to about 50,000 Indigenous peoples across Canada, with 47% being women.

Figure 1.6: Employment rates of Indigenous (off-reserve) and non-Indigenous populations by educational attainment, age 25–54

Text version
Completed post-secondary education
Years Indigenous population Non-Indigenous population Employment rate gap
2014 80.1% 85.8% 5.7
2015 78.4% 85.9% 7.5
2016 79.2% 85.7% 6.5
2017 79.9% 86.4% 6.5
2018 81.6% 86.6% 5.0
High school graduate or some post-secondary
Years Indigenous population Non-Indigenous population Employment rate gap
2014 67.0% 76.9% 9.9
2015 63.9% 76.3% 12.4
2016 65.1% 76.2% 11.1
2017 67.3% 77.2% 9.9
2018 66.1% 77.3% 11.2
All education levels
Years Indigenous population Non-Indigenous population Employment rate gap
2014 69.3% 81.6% 12.3
2015 67.5% 81.8% 14.3
2016 69.1% 81.7% 12.6
2017 70.3% 82.7% 12.4
2018 71.3% 83.1% 11.8

Sources:

Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0359-01

Notes:

The term "Indigenous Peoples," as used by Statistics Canada, refers to whether the person reported being an Indigenous person, i.e. First Nations (North American Indian), Métis or Inuk (Inuit).

The Labour Force Survey target population does not include the population living on Indian reserves and settlements.