Economic and Social Reports
In the works

November 2026

Mapping Canada’s economy one square kilometre at a time

by Mark Brown, Matthew Brown and Sean Clarke

This article provides a detailed portrait of the Canadian economy by mapping new estimates of GDP measured across a 1km x 1km grid. It illustrates how Canada’s economy is geographically spread across the country, making concrete how Canada’s national economy is superimposed on a vast landscape. 

Raising productivity in the transportation sector: The roles of regulation and competition

by Wulong Gu and Nada Habli

Labour productivity in Canada’s transportation sector rose rapidly, at 2.71% per year, from 1961 to 1995 but slowed to 1.41% per year from 1995 to 2016 and turned negative after 2016. This paper examines the drivers of labour productivity growth in the sector, focusing on competition, regulatory burden and technology adoption. It uses the National Accounts Longitudinal Microdata File (NALMF) to construct firm-level measures of output, inputs and productivity for incorporated businesses in Canada from 2000 to 2023.

Arranged employment and post-admission earnings among economic immigrants

by Feng Hou

This study builds on previous research on the relationship between arranged employment and post-admission labour market outcomes among Express Entry (EE) principal applicants. It addresses two questions: whether immigrants with arranged employment differed from those without in terms of human capital factors, and how their earnings compared after admission. Using administrative data from the Longitudinal Immigration Database, the analysis covers EE principal applicants admitted from 2015 to 2024 and compares earnings outcomes under two different EE policy contexts: 2015 to 2016, when arranged employment effectively guaranteed selection, and 2017 to 2024, when the points assigned to arranged employment were differentiated by skill level and substantially reduced.

Industry and employer retention of early childhood educators and assistants in Canada’s early learning and child care sector

by Youjin Choi and Kristyn Frank

Early childhood educators and assistants (ECEAs) form the core workforce in the early learning and child care (ELCC) sector. Retaining ECEAs in the sector is essential for the successful implementation of a nationwide ELCC system. This study integrated information on individuals’ industry, employer and earnings from the Longitudinal Worker File with their occupation information from the 2021 Census of Population long-form questionnaire to examine the industry and employer retention of ECEAs employed in the child care services industry in 2021.

Early career transitions and outcomes of postsecondary graduates

by Aneta Bonikowska and Marc Frenette 

Youth unemployment has increased in recent years, raising concerns about new labour market entrants’ ability to build a life like their parents and grandparents. These concerns abound even among postsecondary graduates, who also face potential risks because of recent developments in artificial intelligence. While plenty is known about the earnings and unemployment rates of recent postsecondary graduates, this study fills a knowledge gap by reporting complementary measures such as time to first job, job match (the relationship between the main job held shortly after graduating and the academic program) and the number of jobs held shortly after graduating.

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This schedule is subject to change.