A profile of employees working in federally regulated workplaces: Results from the 2022 Survey of Employees under Federal Jurisdiction
On this page
- Introduction
- Close to 29% of employees are under the age of 35
- Banking is the only federally regulated sector where women are the majority
- Most employees have a postsecondary education
- Temporary employees most common in maritime transportation
- Rail transportation, banks, and telecommunications and broadcasting have the largest share of employees with 10 years or more of tenure; road transportation has the lowest
- Data source, methods and notes to the reader
List of tables
List of figures
Introduction
This report examines the results of the 2022 Survey of Employees under Federal Jurisdiction (SEFJ) on employee demographics, such as age and gender. The survey targeted employees working for employers covered by Part III of the Canada Labour Code except certain miscellaneous activities and First Nation band councils and related activities (for more information, see "Data source, methods and notes to the reader"). In the rest of the document, the target universe of the survey is referred to as the "federal jurisdiction". Tables of statistics from the survey are also available on the Open Government Portal.
Close to 29% of employees are under the age of 35
Across the federal jurisdiction, only 6.0% of employees were under 25 years of age, and 5.3% were 65 or older. Employees aged 25 to 34 comprised 22.9% of the federal jurisdiction; those aged 35 to 44, 24.8%; those aged 45 to 54, 22.7%; and those aged 55 to 64, 18.3% (Table 1).
There were some notable differences in the age distribution of employees across sector categories. The proportion of employees aged 55 and older was particularly high in road transportation (31.9%); maritime transportation (31.8%); and feed, flour, seed and grain (29.0%). Meanwhile, 13.0% of employees in courier services and pipelines were aged under 25, much more than in any other sector. In fact, only feed, flour, seed and grain and air transportation came close with 9.9% and 9.4%, respectively.
| Sector | Under 25 | 25 to 34 | 35 to 44 | 45 to 54 | 55 to 64 | 65 and older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 6.0% | 22.9% | 24.8% | 22.7% | 18.3% | 5.3% |
| Air transportation | 9.4% | 24.7% | 20.8% | 19.8% | 19.0% | 6.3% |
| Rail transportation | 4.3% | 24.0% | 24.3% | 25.2% | 17.9% | 4.3% |
| Road transportation | 5.3% | 18.5% | 18.9% | 25.4% | 21.9% | 10.0% |
| Maritime transportation | 5.5% | 20.1% | 22.1% | 20.5% | 24.2% | 7.6% |
| Courier and pipelines | 13.0% | 24.1% | 22.2% | 19.8% | 17.4% | 3.4% |
| Banks | 3.0% | 25.1% | 31.4% | 21.8% | 16.6% | 2.1% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 9.9% | 21.5% | 20.4% | 19.2% | 21.8% | 7.2% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 5.0% | 23.2% | 28.5% | 25.8% | 14.0% | 3.5% |
Banking is the only federally regulated sector where women are the majority
Most employees working in federally regulated workplaces were men (64.7%), ranging from 85.8% in rail transportation to 46.2% in banks (Figure 1). In fact, banks were the only sector where women represented most employees, accounting for 53.8% of all employees. Among the remaining sectors, telecommunications and broadcasting and air transportation had the highest shares of women, at 40.3% and 32.4% respectively.
Figure 1: text version
| Sector | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 64.7% | 35.3% |
| Air transportation | 67.6% | 32.4% |
| Rail transportation | 85.8% | 14.2% |
| Road transportation | 81.4% | 18.6% |
| Maritime transportation | 76.2% | 23.8% |
| Courier and pipelines | 77.6% | 22.4% |
| Banks | 46.2% | 53.8% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 74.4% | 25.6% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 59.7% | 40.3% |
Regarding the occupational distribution of employment, 33.7% of women were in professional occupations, 27.2% in marketing and sales, and 20.8% in clerical and administrative jobs (Table 2). Among men, 28.4% were in manual occupations, 28.3% were professionals, and 9.7% were in clerical and administrative occupations.
Women were most employees in marketing and sales occupations (53.3%) and in clerical and administrative occupations (53.8%). Women represented 39.6% of managers and 39.3% of professionals, more than their overall representation in the federal jurisdiction. Women were 33.3% of supervisors. Meanwhile, women were highly underrepresented in technical and trades occupations (5.4%) and in manual occupations (6.0%).
| Occupational category | Distribution of women and men | Distribution of women | Distribution of men | Proportion of women |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 35.3% |
| Managers | 9.4% | 10.5% | 8.8% | 39.6% |
| Supervisors | 3.8% | 3.6% | 3.9% | 33.3% |
| Professionals | 30.2% | 33.7% | 28.3% | 39.3% |
| Technical/Trades | 5.4% | 0.8% | 7.9% | 5.4% |
| Marketing/Sales | 18.0% | 27.2% | 13.0% | 53.3% |
| Clerical/administrative | 13.6% | 20.8% | 9.7% | 53.8% |
| Manual | 19.5% | 3.3% | 28.4% | 6.0% |
Most employees have a postsecondary education
Among employees under federal jurisdiction, 44.0% had a university certificate, diploma, or degree; 9.4% a trades certificate; 20.6% a college, CEGEP, or other non-university diploma; 21.1% a secondary school diploma; and 4.9% of employees had not completed secondary school (Table 3). Employees in banks (76.0%) were the most likely to have a university certificate, diploma, or degree. Meanwhile, maritime transportation (20.8%) and rail transportation (20.4%) had the highest share of employees with a trades certificate. At the same time, the proportion of employees who had attained a secondary school diploma as their highest qualification was the highest in rail transportation (37.1%); feed, flour, seed and grain (34.3%); road transportation (34.2%); and courier services and pipelines (33.7%).
| Sector | Below secondary school | Secondary school diploma | College, CEGEP, or other non-university diploma | Trades certificate | University certificate, diploma or degree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 4.9% | 21.1% | 20.6% | 9.4% | 44.0% |
| Air transportation | 2.9% | 20.0% | 32.1% | 13.6% | 31.3% |
| Rail transportation | 2.9% | 37.1% | 22.2% | 20.4% | 17.4% |
| Road transportation | 13.9% | 34.2% | 15.9% | 17.6% | 18.4% |
| Maritime transportation | 6.3% | 17.1% | 24.1% | 20.8% | 31.7% |
| Courier and pipelines | 6.3% | 33.7% | 22.0% | 7.0% | 30.9% |
| Banks | 0.4% | 10.2% | 12.0% | 1.5% | 76.0% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 8.9% | 34.3% | 20.6% | 12.7% | 23.5% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 0.8% | 15.2% | 30.9% | 5.1% | 48.0% |
Women (79.2%) were more likely than men (71.1%) to have a postsecondary education (Figure 2). A higher proportion of women (51.7%) had attained a university certificate, diploma or degree compared to men (39.7%). Meanwhile, the proportion of women (23.2%) who had attained a college, CEGEP or other non-university diploma as their highest credential was slightly higher than that of men (19.2%). Finally, the share of men (12.2%) having attained a trades certificate as their highest credential was almost 3 times that of women (4.3%).
Figure 2: text version
| Highest level of educational attainment | Men and Women | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below secondary school | 4.9% | 6.5% | 2.0% |
| Secondary school diploma | 21.1% | 22.4% | 18.8% |
| College, CEGEP or other non-university diploma | 20.6% | 19.2% | 23.2% |
| Trades certificate | 9.4% | 12.2% | 4.3% |
| University certificate, diploma or degree | 44.0% | 39.7% | 51.7% |
Temporary employees most common in maritime transportation
Among employees under federal jurisdiction, 91.4% were permanent and 8.6% were temporary, which includes interns, seasonal, casual, and fixed term employees. The use of temporary employees was particularly low in banks (2.3%). Among the remaining sectors, telecommunications and broadcasting (6.0%) and rail transportation (9.6%) had the lowest shares of temporary workers.
Overall, men (9.8%) were more likely to be temporary than women (6.3%). However, this was mainly due to 2 sectors: air transportation and road transportation. In most of the other sectors, the shares of men and of women who were temporary were similar. There were even 2 sectors (banks and rail transportation) where the share of men who were temporary was lower than that of women (Figure 3).
- Note: Temporary employees include interns as well as seasonal, casual and fixed-term employees.
Figure 3: text version
| Sector | Men and Women temporary employees | Men temporary employees | Women temporary employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 8.6% | 9.8% | 6.3% |
| Air transportation | 10.6% | 11.9% | 8.0% |
| Rail transportation | 9.6% | 8.8% | 13.4% |
| Road transportation | 11.7% | 12.3% | 9.0% |
| Maritime transportation | 26.6% | 26.7% | 26.3% |
| Courier and pipelines | 16.0% | 16.6% | 14.4% |
| Banks | 2.3% | 1.4% | 3.1% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 10.7% | 10.9% | 10.5% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 6.0% | 6.2% | 6.0% |
Interns, seasonal, fixed-term, and casual employees are captured as temporary employees in Figure 3. Seasonal employees and interns have been combined into one category for the purposes of this report. Maritime transportation had the highest share of interns and seasonal employees (14.0%), more than any other sector (Table 4). Courier services and pipelines (7.6%) and maritime transportation (6.5%) were the 2 sectors with the highest share of casual workers. Meanwhile, the share of fixed term employees ranged from 0.7% in banks to 6.1% in maritime transportation.
| Sector | Permanent | Temporary intern or seasonal | Temporary fixed-term | Temporary casual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 91.4% | 2.2% | 2.6% | 3.8% |
| Air transportation | 89.4% | 2.5% | 2.7% | 5.4% |
| Rail transportation | 90.5% | 6.9% | 1.4% | 1.3% |
| Road transportation | 88.3% | 2.3% | 3.6% | 5.8% |
| Maritime transportation | 73.4% | 14.0% | 6.1% | 6.5% |
| Courier and pipelines | 84.0% | 3.5% | 4.9% | 7.6% |
| Banks | 97.7% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 89.3% | 5.8% | 2.2% | 2.7% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 93.9% | 0.2% | 2.9% | 2.9% |
Rail transportation, banks, and telecommunications and broadcasting have the largest share of employees with 10 years or more of tenure; road transportation has the lowest
Within the federal jurisdiction, 55.3% of employees had a tenure of 6 or more years, while 17.8% had a tenure of 24 months or less (Table 5). Meanwhile, 26.8% of employees had a tenure between 3 and 5 years. Rail transportation, telecommunications and broadcasting, and banks had the highest share of long tenured employees, with between 65.0% and 69.1% of employees having been working for their employer for 6 or more years. On the other hand, 58.7% of employees in courier services and pipelines and 56.5% of employees in road transportation had a tenure of 5 years or less.
| Sector | 12 months or less | 13 to 24 months | 3 to 5 years | 6 to 10 years | More than 10 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 7.6% | 10.2% | 26.8% | 20.4% | 34.9% |
| Air transportation | 8.2% | 10.1% | 30.1% | 18.6% | 32.9% |
| Rail transportation | 1.6% | 5.3% | 24.0% | 19.3% | 49.8% |
| Road transportation | 14.0% | 13.5% | 29.0% | 19.7% | 23.8% |
| Maritime transportation | 9.3% | 10.6% | 28.3% | 20.8% | 31.1% |
| Courier and pipelines | 20.8% | 16.7% | 21.2% | 9.9% | 31.4% |
| Banks | 0.8% | 8.0% | 26.2% | 24.5% | 40.5% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 9.7% | 11.7% | 25.9% | 18.1% | 34.6% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 4.1% | 6.5% | 23.1% | 21.0% | 45.2% |
Overall, women were more likely than men to have a long tenure. In fact, 61.7% of women employees had been working for their employer for 6 or more years, compared to 51.9% of men. However, there were some sectors where men were more likely than women to have remained with their employer for 6 years or more, including feed, flour, seed and grain; telecommunications and broadcasting; and maritime transportation (Figure 4).
Figure 4: text version
| Sector | Men and Women with 6 years or more of tenure | Men with 6 years or more of tenure | Women with 6 years or more of tenure |
|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 55.4% | 51.9% | 61.7% |
| Air transportation | 51.5% | 50.2% | 54.4% |
| Rail transportation | 69.1% | 68.7% | 71.6% |
| Road transportation | 43.5% | 42.1% | 49.4% |
| Maritime transportation | 51.9% | 53.3% | 47.3% |
| Courier and pipelines | 41.4% | 40.5% | 44.4% |
| Banks | 65.0% | 59.3% | 69.9% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 52.7% | 54.7% | 47.3% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 66.2% | 68.6% | 62.6% |
Data source, methods and notes to the reader
Data source and methods
The data source used for this report is the 2022 Survey of Employees under Federal Jurisdiction (SEFJ). The survey was conducted by Statistics Canada on behalf for the Labour Program of Employment and Social Development Canada. The aim of the survey was to collect data on the working conditions of employees working in federally regulated workplaces. Topics covered include: work hours, health and safety, work-life balance, exposure to workplace harassment and discrimination, as well as access to leaves, benefits, flexible work arrangements, and collective bargaining coverage. Statistics Canada distributed the survey to 37,500 employees in early 2022 (January to March). About 19,060 employees responded to the survey.
The survey targeted employees working for employers covered by Part III of the Canada Labour Code. Part III of the Canada Labour Code covers approximately 6% of employees in Canada. This includes employees working in the following 8 sectors: air transportation; rail transportation; road transportation; maritime transportation; courier services and pipelines; banks; feed, flour, seed and grain; and telecommunications and broadcasting. Henceforth, the terminology "federal jurisdiction" (FJ) is used to refer to these sectors. The survey did not collect data from employees working in various miscellaneous activities outside of these 8 sectors, such as certain federal Crown and shared governance corporations, federally regulated mines and companies engaged in the management of fisheries. First Nation band councils and related activities were also not included.
Notes to the reader
- The sample frame for the SEFJ was constructed using lists of employees known to work at establishments under federal jurisdiction. These lists were either provided by employers or derived from administrative data sources such as tax data. For some employers, employee lists were either not provided or they were not usable, which was a source of under coverage for the frame. This under coverage was most significant among large establishments in the postal wing of the courier services and pipeline sector and establishments in the rail transportation sector. It is a potential source of bias when calculating estimates within those domains. In addition, due to the under coverage of postal services and, consequently, the much larger contribution of courier services, the sector was renamed to "courier services and pipelines" from its original "postal services and pipelines".
- The pipeline industry is combined with the courier industry because it has a relatively small number of employees. Given limitations on sample size, statistics reported for this sector alone would likely conflict with Statistics Canada's confidentiality and data quality requirements for reporting statistics.
- The estimates presented in this report are based on valid responses only, invalid responses have been excluded.
- Where relevant, estimates may not sum to exactly 100% due to rounding.
- The SEFJ included questions on both sex at birth and gender. This report uses the variable "gender", which is consistent with the approach used in the most recent Census of Population. Given that the gender-diverse category did not have a sufficient size to be reported, gender-diverse responses were randomly aggregated among the binary gender categories by Statistics Canada. Respondents who declined to provide a response to the question "What is your gender" are treated as non-responses and are therefore excluded from the results reported by gender.