Economic Analysis and Statistics  Canadian Industry Statistics

Data Sources

The information on this site is based on data provided to Industry Canada by Statistics Canada. The main sources are listed below :

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Historically called the Annual Surveys of Manufactures. Although the target population consists of incorporated and non-incorporated establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing, the data analyzed here corresponds with CANSIM Table 301-0003. This particular table consists of data on incorporated businesses with employees having annual sales of manufactured goods greater than or equal to $30,000.

The survey is based on establishments rather than companies or enterprises. See statistical units used in business surveys on Statistics Canada's site for more details on how these are defined in this context.

The Annual Survey of Manufactures collects financial data and production data. The main financial data are the value of shipments, employment data (the number of employees, as well as salaries and wages), the cost of raw materials and energy consumption. Commodity data (materials and components, as well as goods shipped) are also collected for establishments that are sent a long form questionnaire.

Specific data elements gathered from this survey include :

• number of establishments;
• number of production workers;
• production worker wages;
• cost of materials and supplies;
• cost of fuel and electricity;
• sales of manufactured goods;
• manufacturing value added;
• number of non-manufacturing employees;
• non-manufacturing employee salaries;
• total salaries and wages;
• cost of materials, supplies and goods for resale;
• sales of manufactured goods and other revenue; and,
• total value added.

The first year ASM survey results were gathered and compiled on a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) basis was 1998. Data for the years 1990 and 1997 were back-casted by Statistics Canada.

NAICS codes are assigned by the establishments primary activity. In most cases, when an establishment is engaged in more than one activity, the activities are treated as independent. The activity with the largest value-added is identified as the establishments primary activity, and the establishment is classified to the industry corresponding to that activity. In practice, it is often necessary to use other variables, such as total revenues, manufacturing shipments, or employment, as proxies for value added.

In 2000, Statistics Canada implemented major conceptual and methodological changes to the Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM). Prior to 2000, the ASM provided estimates of principal financial statistics for incorporated establishments with employees and sales of manufactured goods equal to or greater than $30,000. Starting in 2000, the ASM was expanded to collect data for all incorporated and unincorporated establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing by linking the survey to the Business Register.

The linkage of the ASM to the Business Register resulted in much broader coverage and a better representation of the manufacturing sector in Canada. Adding nearly 24,000 units to incorporated establishments with employees and sales of manufactured goods equal to or greater than $30,000 (old methodology) and approximately 60,000 units to the ASM universe. Despite the large increase in the number of establishments the majority are relatively small and account for less than 5% of the value of manufacturing shipments for the incorporated establishments component.

In addition, starting in 2000, data from head offices are no longer included. The exclusion of data from head offices will affect the following variables: administration employees; salaries; total employees; salaries and wages; cost of materials, supplies and goods for resale; value of shipments and other revenue; and, total value added. In 1999, Head Office activity accounted for about 3% of the employees of Canadian manufacturers; and about 7% of the total value of shipments and other revenue

The effect of these changes on the statistics from the Annual Survey of Manufactures will differ between industries. Statistics Canada offers more information on the methodology of the Annual Survey of Manufactures refer to the following site.

A number of new variables and performance indicators were derived from the data elements listed above for presentation on Canadian Industry Statistics. These include :

• average annual salaries for production and administrative workers;
• average number of hours worked per week by production workers;
• manufacturing intensity;
• output per employee : manufacturing shipments per employee and manufacturing value-added per employee;
• labour productivity : manufacturing value-added per production hour worked
,
• net revenues.

In Canadian Industry Statistics, the Annual Survey of Manufactures data is analyzed under the following topics for the manufacturing sector as well as its subsectors, industry groups, industries and national industries:

• establishments;
• employment;
• salaries and wages;
• manufacturing production;
• manufacturing costs; and,
• performance.

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The Canadian Business Patterns (CBP) database is released semi-annually and contains data that reflect counts of business establishments by :

• nine employment size ranges;
• geography groupings : province/territory, census division, census subdivision, census metropolitan area and census agglomeration; and,
• North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

The information is gathered from the Business Register. The Business Register maintains a complete, up to date and unduplicated list on all active businesses in Canada that have a corporate income tax (T2) account, are an employer or have a GST account with an annual gross business income of over $30,000. It may not match other estimates of establishments derived from survey results.

In Canadian Industry Statistics, the Canadian Business Patterns data is analyzed under the following topic for the Canadian economy and its sectors, as well as subsectors, industry groups, industries and national industries belonging to the Manufacturing sector :

• establishments

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This database, maintained by Statistics Canada, keeps track of all goods entering and leaving Canada through Customs.

Industry Canada taps into this source making trade statistics available through its Trade Data Online on-line dynamic report/graph generator on Industry Canada's Strategis web site. Sections of Canadian Industry Statistics dealing with the international trade of goods link directly to this site.

Trade Data Online provides the ability to generate customized reports on Canadian and U.S. trade of goods with over 200 countries from 1990 to the present. Goods (products) are classified using the Harmonized System (HS) codes used internationally to compile merchandise trade statistics.

Import and export data are customs-based and presented in current dollars. Quantities are not available on this site, but may be purchased online (where available) from Statistics Canada's Canadian international merchandise trade database.

In addition, in a separate module, trade statistics for Canada are available by industry from 1992 onwards. Industries are classified using North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes . Trade data are only available for goods-producing industries in the resources and manufacturing sectors of the economy since they are customs-based.

The following data are available on a NAICS basis for goods-producing industries:

• imports by country of origin and province of clearance
• exports by country of destination and province of origin

Additional trade data on goods compiled on a balance-of-payments basis is available from Statistics Canada. For trade in services see the Government of Canada's Services 2000 web site.

In Canadian Industry Statistics, international trade data is analyzed under the following topic for goods-producing industry sectors, as well as subsectors, industry groups, industries and national industries belonging to the Manufacturing sector :

• international trade

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Capital and Repair Expenditures Survey

This Statistics Canada survey is required to produce much of the annual data to estimate fixed non-residential capital flows and stocks (CANSIM Table 031-0002). Specifically, to produce annual estimates of end-year gross stock, investment and depreciation by industry and by province and territory. The estimates are produced for building, engineering and machinery and equipment asset groupings. The estimates are available historically in constant, current, chained (Fisher) and original (book value) dollars.

The conceptual universe and target population of this survey covers all Canadian businesses and governments from all the provinces and territories in Canada. Outlays for used Canadian assets are excluded since they constitute a transfer of assets within Canada and have no effect on the aggregates of our domestic inventory. Assets imported from outside Canada are included as they increase our domestic inventory.

Data for a specific industry or variable may be suppressed (along with that of a second industry or variable) if the number of enterprises in the population is too low.

The fixed non-residential capital flows and stocks data from the Capital and Repairs Expenditures Survey is released annually and contains the following data elements :

• end-year gross stock by type of asset : building construction, engineering construction and machinery and equipment;
• annual investment by type of asset : building construction, engineering construction and machinery and equipment; and,
• rates of depreciation by type of asset : building construction, engineering construction and machinery and equipment.

In Canadian Industry Statistics, fixed capital flows and stocks data is analyses in current dollars under the following topic for the manufacturing sector as well as its subsectors, industry groups, industries and national industries :

• capital investment

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This Statistics Canada activity provides Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at basic prices as a measure of the economic production which takes place within the geographical boundaries of Canada.

GDP is gross in the sense that it does not deduct the depreciation of capital, and domestic as it measures production occurring within the political boundaries of Canada.

GDP data is maintained by Statistics Canada's System of National Accounts (CSNA). GDP by industry is one of three GDP series produced by the CSNA. It is also known as output based GDP because it sums the value added (output less intermediate consumption of goods and services) of all industries in Canada. The other two GDP series are calculated using either final expenditures on goods and services produced (expenditure-based GDP) or incomes earned by productive activities (income-based GDP) methods.

Historically, GDP by industry was presented at factor cost, excluding taxes and subsidies. In 2001, the CSNA adopted the basic prices valuation which is equal to GDP at factor cost plus taxes paid and less subsidies received on the factors of production (labour or capital). The decision to move from a factor cost to a basic price measurement better represents the costs incurred by producers in the processes of production.

In addition, the move to basic prices made Canada's GDP by industry comparable to the majority of OECD countries. However, it should be noted that the United States and five other OECD member countries (Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland and Turkey) estimate GDP by industry at market prices, resulting in a higher valuation than estimates at basic prices.

GDP by industry is available in constant 1997 dollars or in chained 1997 dollars, it is presented in Canadian Industry Statistics in chained 1997 dollars. The process of chaining takes into account fluctuations in relative prices and the composition of output over time. Chained GDP preserves the original growth rates of industries and is especially important in examining the performance of industries which have been susceptible to rapid price changes (such as information technology and related industries).

However, one short-coming of the chained estimates is the non-additivity of the components (industries) to the aggregate (economy) in non-base years. In general, observations on industry growth should refer to chained GDP by industry, while observations on the industry share of total GDP should refer to constant dollar GDP by industry.

Monthly, quarterly and annual estimates of GDP by industry are available through Statistics Canada. The annual estimates of GDP by industry serve as a benchmark for monthly and quarterly estimates. Annual estimates of GDP by industry are derived from industry input-output tables. Only the annual GDP series is reported in Canadian Industry Statistics, these estimates correspond with values from CANSIM Tables 379-0017 and 379-0020.

In certain cases data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable enterprises.

Canadian economy and its sectors, as well as subsectors, industry groups, industries and national industries belonging to the manufacturing sector :

• GDP

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Indices of Labour Productivity

For the first time, Statistics Canada is publishing productivity data on the basis of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The annual indices on productivity correspond with values from CANSIM Table 383-0013. Click here to access the main CANSIM query page.

Currently, productivity data by industry is available over a six year period from 1997 to 2002, indexed to 1997 levels. In the near future, productivity data by industry will be available for the years 1961 to 1996 inclusive.

Labour productivity is measured as real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for every hour worked in Canada's business sector. Labour productivity derived from real GDP is presented as an index in order to avoid methodological problems associated with level comparisons.

The business sector excludes public administration, non-profit organizations and the Canadian System of National Accounts (CSNA) imputation of the rental value of owner-occupied dwellings. It is difficult to draw inferences on productivity from these sectors and they are therefore excluded. In 1992, the business sector GDP accounted for about 71% of the Canadian total.

In Canadian Industry Statistics, Labour Productivity Indices for the business sector are analyzed under the following topic for the Canadian Economy and its sectors :

• Labour Productivity