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Labour Market Information Sources
There are many existing sources that provide labour market information for the province. Please follow the links below to learn more about the main information sources used for data on LMIworks.nl.ca.
Labour Force Survey
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a monthly survey conducted by Statistics Canada. The LFS provides monthly estimates of employment and unemployment which are among the most timely and important indicators used to measure the performance of the Canadian economy for the purposes of managing growth, counter-cyclical, and anti-inflationary policies.
The LFS estimates are the first of the major monthly economic data series to be released. It is for this reason that it has become one of the most commonly used sources of labour market information. Estimates are produced for Canada, the provinces and sub-provincial regions, using a sample of the population. In Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately 2,000 households are surveyed each month for the LFS. Due to this small sample size, data for sub-provincial labour markets or for more detailed analyses is not available or is not reliable.
Canadian Census of the Population
Statistics Canada conducts a census of the population every five years to provide a historical perspective on how communities change and how the country evolves over time. The most recent Census was conducted in May 2006.
The Census is designed to provide information about the demographic, social and economic characteristics of the Canadian population. The Census also provides this information for small geographic areas and for small population groups to support the activities of governments at all levels, as well as the activities of data users in the private sector.
The Census is one of the most reliable sources of labour market information in the country. The Census collects information about all residents in this province; however, a longer survey is administered to a sample of 20 per cent of the population to collect more detailed information about labour market activities and other selected topics. Relative to other surveys, the Census provides much more detailed regional occupational and industrial information and a broader scope of labour market indicators in general.
However, the Census is limited as a primary source for monitoring labour market activity because it is conducted only once every five years. There is also a considerable lag between when Census labour market data is collected and when it is available for analysis. For example, the 2001 Census is the source for the latest labour market. Data from the 2006 Census will not become available until 2008 at the earliest.
Small Area Estimation: Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency, Department of Finance
One of the main objectives of the Strengthening Partnerships Initiative is to enhance the supply of regional labour market indicators available to stakeholders and to build capacity to produce indicators at “user defined” levels of geography throughout the province. In order to meet this objective, the Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment partnered with the Social and Economic Spatial Analysis Unit, Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency, Department of Finance to produce small area data estimates for communities from custom Census data tabulations. Using Census data for 80+ CCSs and approximately 100 CSDs, estimates of labour market indicators have been produced for approximately 600 communities throughout the province, spanning 5 Censuses (1981, 1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001) and 25 years of economic activity.
Statistics Canada Business Register
The Business Register is a repository of information reflecting the Canadian business population and exists primarily for the purpose of supplying frames for all economic surveys in Statistics Canada. It also serves as a data source for the compilation of business demographic information (e.g., number of businesses, employment size). The major sources of information for the Business Register are updates from the Statistics Canada survey program and from Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) Business Number account files. Included in the Business Register are all Canadian businesses which have one or more establishments and meet at least one of the three following criteria: (1) have an employee workforce for which they submit payroll remittances to CRA; or (2) have a minimum of $30,000 in annual sales revenue; or (3) are incorporated under a federal or provincial act and have filed a federal corporate income tax form within the past three years.
Taxfile Records
From the income tax forms submitted each year by Canadians, the Small Area and Administrative Data Division of Statistics Canada produces a wealth of economic and demographic information for use by both the private and public sectors. Each year, the Division examines and processes over 22 million tax and other administrative records in an effort to offer clients the most reliable information possible. The data are highly accurate as they are a direct count from the tax file – not a sample. The file contains 100 per cent of all taxfilers and the data cover approximately 96 per cent of all Canadians.
Data are currently available from 1990 to 2004 and are updated on an annual basis in order to provide some of the timeliest sources of economic and demographic information available.
Newfoundland and Labrador Population Projections
The Economics and Statistics Branch in the Department of Finance prepares 15-year population projections for Newfoundland and Labrador on an annual basis. The current projections extend to 2021 and are available by 5-year age groups for the province and various sub-provincial regions.
The projections are prepared using data from the Demography Division of Statistics Canada and the Population Projection System known as POPPS, and are based on three economic/demographic scenarios with high, medium and low probabilities – the medium scenario has been used whenever projection data is provided throughout this site. The demographic assumptions for the medium scenario around fertility, mortality and migration are available on the following web site: www.economics.gov.nl.ca.