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Occupations

The steady expansion of Canada's labour force is one of the most remarkable economic and demographic changes in Canadian history. The labour force grew sixfold from 1861 to 1961, increasing at a slightly faster rate than Canada's population.

The composition of the burgeoning labour force also saw major shifts with respect to the age, gender and occupations of labourers. Among male workers, the proportions of young and old men declined, but the female trend was toward greater involvement of younger and middle-aged women in the labour force. The two world wars stimulated an influx of women into workforce, and so the proportions of men and women in many occupational fields changed. However, gender gaps remained in certain occupations.

The types of jobs Canadians held also changed. In 1861, farmers, labourers, loggers, mariners and anglers dominated the labour force. As an urban and industrial economy evolved over the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the proportion of Canadians employed in these occupations plunged, and new jobs created in other sectors of the economy—such as manufacturing, services and government—assumed a bigger share of the labour force.

1927 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Index numbers of a family budget of staple foods, fuel, lighting and rent, in Canada, by provinces, 1920 to 1927
2. Index numbers of retail prices, rents and costs of services, 1925, 1926, 1927 and January 1928
3. Occupations of the gainfully employed population of Canada, by sex, number and percentage, 1911 and 1921
4. Prices of a family budget of staple foods, fuel, lighting and rent, in sixty cities in Canada, 1913, 1920 to 1927
5. Representative daily wages of employees in and about coal mines in Canada, September 1921 to 1937
6. Total number of wage earners and average yearly earnings, census years 1911 and 1921, in cities of 30,000 population and over
7. Wages and hours of labour of employees of steam railways in Canada, 1923 to 1927
8. Wages and hours of labour, by selected trades in selected cities of Canada, 1927

1937 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Enrolment in provincially controlled vocational schools in Canada, by provinces, school year ended June 30, 1935
2. Fatal industrial accidents in Canada, by industries, 1932 to 1936, by number
3. Numbers and percentages of the gainfully occupied males and females 10 years of age or over, by occupation groups, census years 1891 to 1931
4. Numbers and percentages of the population 10 years of age or over in gainful occupations, classified according to age and sex, census years 1921 and 1931
5. Numbers of gainfully occupied males and females 10 years of age or over, by occupation groups, for the provinces, 1931
6. Percentage distribution of the gainfully occupied 10 years of age or over, classifled according to sex, by occupation groups, for the provinces, 1931

1947 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Average hourly wage rates for specified occupations in manufacturing, by provinces, 1945
2. Average wages per hour for specified occupations in certain cities, 1945
3. Membership of trade unions in Canada, 1913 to 1945
4. Minimum weekly rates for experienced workers in the principal cities, December, 1946
5. Wage-earners, 14 years of age or older, by sex, together with total and average earnings during the twelve months prior to the census date, June 2, 1941, by provinces.

1967 Canada Year Book - Related tables

1. Annual average index numbers of employment, by industrial division and group, 1961 to 1965
2. Average earnings of male and female employees in manufacturing, survey week 1956 to 1965, and percentage increases over previous year
3. Average weekly hours and earnings of salaried employees and earnings of clerical and other salaried classes in manufacturing, by industry, province and urban area, survey week 1965
4. Estimates of the civilian labour force and its main components, annual averages, 1946 and 1956 to 1965
5. Minimum wage rates for experienced workers by selected cities and by sex, December 1, 1966
6. Percentage distribution of the employed by industrial group, 1946 and 1956 to 1965
7. Percentage distribution of the population 14 years of age or older in the labour force and non-labour force categories, by sex, 1946 and 1956 to 1965
8. Proportions of male and female employees classified as salaried staff, survey week 1956 to 1965
9. Union membership in Canada, 1938 to 1966

Related charts

1. Assets, liabilities and members' equities, co-operative marketing and purchasing associations, years ended July 31, 1949 to 1956
2. Average annual wages of production workers, selected industries, 1949 and 1955
3. Canadian tax payers by income group, 1954
4. Employment in manufacturing industries, 1946 to 1964
5. Paper production and newsprint distribution, 1945 to 1956