Key Small Business Statistics - January 2009
Tables and Figures Descriptions
Table 1: Total Number of Business Establishments, and Number of Establishments Relative to Provincial/Territorial Population and Gross Domestic Product, June 2008
This table shows the number of business establishments by province and territory in June 2008. 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 Yukon and Alberta have the highest ratio of businesses to people. Northwest Territories and Nunavut have the highest ratio of GDP per business.
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Table 2: Number of Business Establishments by Sector and Firm Size (Number of Employees), June 2008
This table shows the number of business establishments in June 2008 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 97 percent of all businesses in that sector are small businesses (those with fewer than 100 employees).
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Figure 1: Distribution of Business Establishments in the Goods-Producing and Service-Producing Sectors by Firm Size (Number of Employees), June 2008
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.
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Table 3: Employer Businesses by Firm Size (Number of Employees) in Provinces and Territories, June 2008
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.
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Table 4: Employer Businesses by Firm Size (Number of Employees) in Industries, June 2008
This table shows the number of employer business establishments in each industry and their distribution by firm size. The highest proportions of small businesses are found in primary industries and other services.
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Figure 2: Entries and Exits of Small Businesses with up to 100 Employees, 2002 to 2006
This figure shows a bar graph that indicates the number of business entries and exits from 2002 to 2006. In July 2008, Statistics Canada made available these data on SMEs in Canada through the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Data.
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Figure 3: Survival Rates of Micro-Enterprises and Other Small Businesses (Employer Businesses Only), 2001-2006
This figure shows survival rates for micro businesses (those with fewer than 5 employees), other small businesses (those with 5 to 99 employees) and those with revenues of less than $30 000 over the 2001 to 2006 period. Micro-enterprises had the highest survival rates over the period observed.
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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.
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Figure 4: 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.
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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.
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Figure 5: 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.
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Table 7: Year-Over-Year Net Private Sector Paid Employment Change, and Percent Contribution by Size of Business Enterprise, Quarterly, 2005 Q1 to 2008 Q2
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 first quarter of 2005 and the second quarter of 2008. 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 2005 and the second quarter of 2008.
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Figure 6: Percent Contribution to Year-Over-Year Net Change in Private Sector Employment, by Size of Business Enterprise, Quarterly, 2005 Q1 to 2008 Q2
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 2005 and the second quarter of 2008.
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Table 8: 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.
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Figure 7: 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 8. 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.
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Table 9: Small Business's Contribution to GDP by Province, 2000-2007
This table shows that contribution to GDP in each province by businesses with fewer than 50 employees between 2000 and 2007. Small business' contribution to GDP was highest in British Columbia and lowest in Newfoundland and Labrador.
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Table 10: 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 third quarter of 2008. Approximately two-thirds of self-employed workers are male.
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Table 11: 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.
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Figure 8: 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.
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Table 12: 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.
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Figure 9: 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 12. It shows year-over-year net changes in total private sector employment and total self-employment.
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Figure 10: 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.
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Figure 11: 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.
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Table 13: Share of Self-Employed by Industry and Occupation, 1997, 2002 and 2007 and Distribution of Self-Employed in Industry or Occupation by Category of Worker, Canada, 1997, 2002 and 2007
Table 13 presents a breakdown, by industry and occupation, of self-employed individuals for 1997, 2002 and 2007. Among all categories of self-employed workers, the highest share in 2007 occurred within the unincorporated without paid help category.
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Table 14: Share of Self-Employed Workers by Category of Worker, Education Level and Age, Canada, 1997, 2002 and 2007
Table 14 presents a breakdown by education level and age of self-employed individuals for 1997, 2002 and 2007. In 2007, about 60 percent of self-employed workers had at least a post-secondary education. In the same year, more than two thirds of self-employed individuals were between 30 and 54 years of age.
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Figure 12: 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.
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Table 15: 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.
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Figure 13: 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.
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Table 16: Internet Access and Use by Firm Size (Percent), 2001–2007
This table shows the percent of businesses, by firm size, that had internet access, owned a website, sold and bought online, between 2001 and 2007. Although the gap in online activity continues to shrink between small and large business, small businesses still lag behind large businesses.
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