Key Small Business Statistics - July 2008
Table and Figure Descriptions
Table 1: Total Number of Business Establishments, and Number of Establishments Relative to Provincial/Territorial Population and Gross Domestic Product, December 2007
This table shows the number of business establishments by province and territory in December 2007. Additionally, it shows the number of businesses per 1000 people and GDP per business establishment. Approximately 56 percent of business establishments are located in Quebec and Ontario, while the Yukon 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), December 2007
This table shows the number of business establishments in December 2007 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 in that sector 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), December 2007
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, December 2007
This table shows the number of employer business establishments by province and territory and their distribution by firm size. Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan and British Columbia 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, 2007
This table shows the number of private sector employees by industry and firm size for 2007. 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, 2007
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), 1997–2007
This table shows the relative contribution to year-over-year net change in private sector employment (annually) by firm size over the 1997 to 2007 time period. [Back to table 6]
Figure 4: Percent Contribution to the Net Change in Private Sector Paid Employment by Size of Business Enterprise, 1997–2007
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 1997 to 2007 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, 2004 Q3 to 2007 Q4
This table 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 2004 and the fourth quarter of 2007. 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 third quarter of 2004 and the fourth quarter of 2007. [Back to table 7]
Figure 5: Percent Contribution to Year-Over-Year Net Change in Private Sector Employment, by Size of Business Enterprise, Quarterly, 2004 Q3 to 2007 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 third quarter of 2004 and the fourth quarter of 2007. [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, 2007
This table shows average weekly earnings for the Private Sector Total, Good-Producing Sector and Service-Producing Sector, by firm size, for 2007. 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, 2007
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 2007. Generally, average weekly earnings increased with firm size. [Back to figure 6]
Table 10: Small Business's Contribution to GDP by Province, 1993–2006
This table shows that contribution to GDP in each province by businesses with fewer than 50 employees between 1993 and 2006. Small business' contribution to GDP was highest in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island and lowest in Newfoundland and Labrador. [Back to table 10]
Table 11: Total Number of Self-Employed Persons (Thousands) by Gender, Yearly and Quarterly, 1997–2008
This table contains two sections. The top section provides the number of self-employed workers by gender between 1997 and 2007. The bottom section shows the same data but quarterly, between the first quarter of 2004 and the first quarter of 2008. 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), 1997–2007
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 1997 to 2007 period. Additionally, there are four rows at the bottom that show the average annual growth rate for each group in different periods. Incorporated self-employed workers, without paid help, had the highest average annual growth rate of all the groups. [Back to table 12]
Figure 7: Self-Employed Persons (Thousands), by Category, 1977–2007
This line graph shows the number of persons in each type of self-employment, annually between 1977 and 2007. 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, 1996–2007
This table shows the annual net change in private sector employment and annual net change in self-employment between 1996 and 2007. [Back to table 13]
Figure 8: Private Sector Total Net Employment Change and Net Self-Employment Change, Year-Over-Year (Thousands), 1977–2007
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 for Employees and the Self-Employed, 1987, 1997 and 2007
This bar graph shows the distributions of usual weekly hours worked for employees and self-employed in 1987, 1997 and 2007. [Back to figure 9]
Figure 10: Percentage Distribution of Usual Weekly Hours Worked, by Class of Worker and Gender, 2007
This bar graph shows the distributions of usual weekly hours worked by gender for employees and self-employed. More male employees and self-employed persons worked more than 50 hours per week than female employees and self-employed workers. [Back to figure 10]
Figure 11: Business Ownership Distribution by Gender and Industry, 2004
This bar graph illustrates the distribution of business ownership by gender, by industry for 2004. 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 Business Size (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 by Firm Size (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), 2001–2005
This table shows the percent of businesses, by firm size, that had internet access, owned a website, sold and bought online, between 2001 and 2005. 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]