Canadian Workforce Proficiency Rates by Industry and Business Size

Statistics Canada provides a dataset measuring the percentage of employees fully proficient in their current jobs for the first quarter of 2026. It is disaggregated by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), business employment size, type of business, business activity, and majority ownership. The data was last updated on February 27, 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze proficiency_rate trends across NAICS industry classifications to identify sectors with high or low workforce competency. Benchmark proficiency_rate by business_employment_size to see if smaller or larger firms report different skill levels. Compare proficiency_rate by type_of_business (e.g., incorporated vs. unincorporated) to assess structural influences on workforce training. Investigate correlations between majority_ownership and reported proficiency_rate to understand ownership's role in skill development. Model proficiency_rate as a function of business_activity and NAICS code for regional economic planning.

Strengths

• Data is disaggregated by at least five dimensions: NAICS, business size, type, activity, and ownership.
• Provides a standardized metric (percentage proficient) for cross-industry comparison.
• Published by Statistics Canada, a national statistical agency, ensuring methodological rigor.

Limitations

• Dataset size, row count, and sample size are unknown, limiting assessment of statistical power.
• Data is a single snapshot from Q1 2026, offering no historical trend analysis.
• Geographic coverage is limited to Canada, restricting international applicability.

Provenance

Source

Statistics Canada

Collection Method

Likely gathered via business surveys, though specific methodology is not detailed in the provided description.

Time Range

First quarter of 2026

Freshness

Data is current for Q1 2026 and was updated in February 2026.

Geography

Canada