Key Small Business Statistics - July 2006
Table and Figure Descriptions
Table 1: Total Number of Business Establishments, and Number of Establishments Relative to Provincial/Territorial Population and Gross Domestic Product, June 2005
This table shows the number of business establishments by province and territory in June 2005. Additionally, it shows the number of businesses per 1000 people and GDP per business establishment. Approximately 58 percent of business establishments are located in Quebec and Ontario, while the Saskatchewan and Alberta have the highest ratio of businesses to people. Northwest Territories and Nunavut have the highest ratio of GDP per business. [Back to table 1]
Table 2: Number of Business Establishments by Sector and Firm Size (Number of Employees), June 2005
This table shows the number of business establishments in June 2005 by firm size for the Goods-Producing and Service-Producing Sectors, and the total economy. About one-quarter of businesses operate in the Goods-Producing Sector and more than 97 percent of all businesses are small businesses (those with fewer than 100 employees). [Back to table 2]
Figure 1: Distribution of Business Establishments in the Goods-Producing and Service-Producing Sectors by Firm Size (Number of Employees), June 2005
This figure shows two pie charts that depict the distributions of business establishments by firm size in Goods-Producing and Service-Producing Sectors. Data from Table 2 are depicted in this figure. [Back to figure 1]
Table 3: Employer Businesses by Firm Size (Number of Employees) in Provinces and Territories, June 2005
This table shows the number of employer business establishments by province and territory and their distribution by firm size. Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan had the highest proportion of small businesses. [Back to table 3]
Figure 2: Entries and Exits of Employer Businesses with up to 500 Employees, and GDP Growth, 1991–92 to 2002–03
This figure shows a bar graph that indicates the number of business entries and exits for each pair of years from 1991 to 2003. Additionally, a line indicates real GDP growth over the same period. Below is another bar graph showing the number of net entries for each pair of years. Net entries were the highest in 1996–97. [Back to figure 2]
Table 4: Survival Rates of Micro-enterprises and Other Small Businesses (Employer Businesses Only) by Sector and Size (Percent), 1994–2003
This table shows survival rates for micro businesses (those with fewer than 5 employees) and other small businesses (those with 5 to 99 employees) by sector over the 1994 to 2003 period. The percentage of new firms that remain in business declines rapidly over the first three years. [Back to table 4]
Table 5: Number of Private Sector Employees by Industry and Size of Business Enterprise, 2005
This table shows the number of private sector employees by industry and firm size for 2005. Small businesses account for more than two-thirds of employment in five of the 18 industries. [Back to table 5]
Figure 3: Number of Private Sector Employees by Industry and Size of Business Enterprise, 2005
This figure depicts the data from Table 5. It is a bar graph showing the number of private sector employees by industry and firm size. Small businesses account for more than two-thirds of employment in five of the 18 industries. [Back to figure 3]
Table 6: Percent Contribution to the Net Change in Private Sector Paid Employment by Size of Business Enterprise (Annual Averages), 1995–2005
This table shows the relative contribution to year-over-year net change in private sector employment (annually) by firm size over the 1995 to 2005 time period. [Back to table 6]
Figure 4: Percent Contribution to the Net Change in Private Sector Paid Employment by Size of Business Enterprise, 1995–2005
This figure depicts the data from Table 6. It is a line graph that shows the percent contribution to net private sector employment change by firm size over the 1995 to 2005 time period. [Back to figure 4]
Table 7: Year-Over-Year Net Private Sector Paid Employment Change, and Percent Contribution by Size of Business Enterprise, Quarterly, 2002 Q1 to 2005 Q4
This table two has two sections. The top section shows the year-over-year change in private sector paid employment (quarterly) by firm size for each quarter between the third quarter of 2002 and the fourth quarter of 2005. The bottom section of the table shows the percent contributions to the overall year-over-year change in paid employment (quarterly) by firm size between the first quarter of 2002 and the fourth quarter of 2005. [Back to table 7]
Figure 5: Percent Contribution to Year-Over-Year Net Change in Private Sector Employment, by Size of Business Enterprise, Quarterly, 2002 Q1 to 2005 Q4
This figure depicts data from Table 7 and shows the percent contribution to year-over-year change in paid private sector employment by firm size between the first quarter of 2001 and the fourth quarter of 2005. [Back to figure 5]
Table 8: Number of Businesses, Net Employment Creation and Percentage Contribution by Growth Category and Size of Firm, Canada, 1993–2003
This table shows net job creation by firm size and firm growth category over the 1993 to 2003 period. Although small hyper and strong growth firms accounted for less than seven percent of all businesses in 1993, they were responsible for nearly 60 percent of jobs created over this period. [Back to table 8]
Table 9: Average Weekly Earnings by Firm Size (Number of Employees) in the Private Sector, 2005
This table shows average weekly earnings for the Private Sector Total, Good-Producing Sector and Service-Producing Sector, by firm size, for 2005. Generally, average weekly earnings increased with firm size. [Back to table 9]
Figure 6: Average Weekly Earnings in the Goods-Producing and Service-Producing Sectors by Firm Size, in the Private Sector, 2005
This figure is a bar chart that depicts the data from Table 9. It shows average weekly earnings in the Goods-Producing and Service-Producing Sectors, and Private Sector Totals, by firm size for 2005. Generally, average weekly earnings increased with firm size. [Back to figure 6]
Table 10: Small Business Contribution to GDP by Province, 1993–2004
This table shows that contribution to GDP in each province by businesses with fewer than 50 employees between 1993 and 2004. Small business' contribution to GDP was highest in British Columbia and lowest in Newfoundland and Labrador. [Back to table 10]
Table 11: Total Number of Self-Employed Persons (Thousands) by Sex, Yearly and Quarterly, 1995–2006
This table contains two sections. The top section provides the number of self-employed workers by gender between 1995 and 2005. The bottom section shows the same data but quarterly, between the first quarter of 2003 and the first quarter of 2006. Approximately two-thirds of self-employed workers are male. [Back to table 11]
Table 12: Average Annual Number of Self-Employed Persons by Category (Thousands) and Average Annual Growth Rates (Percent), 1995–2005
This table shows the average annual number of self-employed persons by category (with and without paid help, incorporated and unincorporated, and unpaid family workers) over the 1995 to 2005 period. Additionally, there is a row at the bottom that shows the average annual growth rate for each group. Incorporated self-employed workers had the highest average annual growth rate of all the groups. [Back to table 12]
Figure 7: Self-Employed Persons (Thousands), by Category, 1976–2005
This line graph shows the number of persons in each type of self-employment, annually between 1976 and 2005. Despite declining between 1998 and 2001, unincorporated self-employed workers without paid help increased the fastest over this period. [Back to figure 7]
Table 13: Private Sector Total Net Employment Change and Net Self-Employment Change, Year-Over-Year, 1995–2005
This table shows the annual net change in private sector employment and annual net change in self-employment between 1995 and 2005. [Back to table 13]
Figure 8: Private Sector Total Net Employment Change and Net Self-Employment Change, Year-Over-Year (Thousands), 1977–2005
This line graph illustrates the data from Table 13. It shows year-over-year net changes in total private sector employment and total self-employment. [Back to figure 8]
Figure 9: Percentage Distribution for Usual Weekly Hours of Employees and Self-Employed, 1987 and 2005
This bar graph shows the distributions of usual weekly hours worked for employees and self-employed in 1987 and 2005. More male employees and self-employed persons worked more than 50 hours per week than female employees and self-employed workers in both years. [Back to figure 9]
Figure 10: Percentage Distribution of Usual Weekly Hours Worked, by Class of Worker and Sex, 2005
This bar graph shows the distributions of usual weekly hours worked by gender for employees and self-employed. [Back to figure 10]
Figure 11: Business Ownership Distribution by Sex and Industry, 2001
This bar graph illustrates the distribution of business ownership by gender, by industry for 2001. Male majority ownership was the dominant form of ownership in all industries. [Back to figure 11]
Table 14: Scientific Research and Experimental Development Expenditures by Number of Employees, 2003
This table shows the number of businesses performing R&D by firm size, as well as the total R&D expenditures and average R&D expenditures per firm. It also shows average percentage of company revenues that are spent on R&D, by firm size. Average expenditure on R&D per firm increases with firm size, but R&D expenditures as a percentage of company revenues decreases by firm size. [Back to table 14]
Figure 12: Percentage of Innovative Service Establishments Based on the Number of Employees, Canada, 2001 to 2003
This bar graph shows the percentage of firms in the service sector that are innovative, by firm size. A higher percentage of firms with more than 100 employees were innovative than those with between 15 and 49 employees. [Back to figure 12]
Table 15: Internet Access and Use by Firm Size (Percent), 2001–2004
This table shows the percent of businesses, by firm size, that had internet access, owned a website, sold and bought online, between 2001 and 2004. Although the gap in online activity continues to shrink between small and large business, small businesses still lag behind large businesses. [Back to table 15]
Table 16: Distribution of Total Value of Goods Exports by Industry, Destination and Size of Business Enterprise (Number of Employees), 2002
This table shows the distribution of the total value of goods exports by industry, destination and size of business enterprise. Small businesses accounted for 20 percent of the total value of exports in 2002. [Back to table 16]