Work hours, work schedule and flexible work arrangements in federally regulated workplaces: Results from the 2022 Survey of Employees under Federal Jurisdiction

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Introduction

This report examines the results of the 2022 Survey of Employees under Federal Jurisdiction (SEFJ) on work hours, work schedule, and flexible work arrangements. 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.

Women in air transportation are almost twice as likely as men to work part-time

Within the federal jurisdiction, 12.0% of employees worked part-time (less than 30 hours per week), with women (14.2%) slightly more likely than men (10.8%) to do so (Figure 1).Footnote 1 The sectors under federal jurisdiction which had the highest rates of part-time work were courier services and pipelines (31.7%) and air transportation (25.4%). Among federal jurisdiction sectors, the share of women (37.8%) who worked part-time in air transportation was notably higher than that of men (19.4%). At the same time, women (7.7%) in telecommunications and broadcasting were almost as likely as men (7.9%) to work part-time.

Figure 1: Part-time work by sector and gender
Figure 1: Part-time work by sector and gender - Text description follows
  • Note: Employees working part-time are those that reported usually working fewer than 30 hours per week.
Figure 1: text version
Sector Men and Women Men Women
All sectors 12.0% 10.8% 14.2%
Air transportation 25.4% 19.4% 37.8%
Rail transportation 3.1% 2.4% 7.3%
Road transportation 9.4% 8.5% 13.2%
Maritime transportation 7.9% 7.6% 8.7%
Courier and pipelines 31.7% 31.2% 33.4%
Banks 4.4% 1.5% 7.0%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 7.0% 6.0% 10.4%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 7.8% 7.9% 7.7%

About 1 out of 4 men working part-time cite the unavailability of full-time work as the main reason for working part-time

Employees may work part-time for a variety of reasons, including the unavailability of full-time work, family responsibilities, school obligations, or because they have another job. Employees may also work part-time due to "other" reasons, such as health or because they voluntarily choose to do so. Excluding the category "other", the 3 most frequently cited reasons for working part-time were the unavailability of full-time work (24.6%), having another job (17.2%), and school obligations (16.3%).Footnote 2 Family responsibilities were cited by 7.1% of part-time workers, with women (13.9%) more than 6 times more likely than men (2.2%) to state this reason (Figure 2). On the other hand, men (20.9%) were twice as likely as women (10.0%) to cite school obligations as the reason for working part-time.

Figure 2: Main reason for working part-time by gender
Figure 2: Main reason for working part-time by gender - Text description follows
  • Note: Responses are limited to employees who reported usually working fewer than 30 hours per week.
Figure 2: text version
Main reason for working part-time Men and Women Men Women
Full-time work not available 24.6% 26.3% 22.2%
Family responsibilities 7.1% 2.2% 13.9%
School obligations 16.3% 20.9% 10.0%
Other job 17.2% 18.8% 14.9%
Other 34.8% 31.8% 39.0%

About 45% of part-time workers would rather work 30 or more hours per week

Among employees working part-time, 45.6% stated that they would prefer to work 30 hours or more per week (Figure 3).Footnote 3 Men (48.7%) were slightly more likely than women (41.3%) to have such a preference. Within the federal jurisdiction, part-time workers in rail transportation were the most likely to state that they would prefer to work full-time (78.6%). On the other hand, only 24.0% of part-time workers in feed, flour, seed and grain had such a preference.

Figure 3: Share of part-time employees who would rather work full-time by sector
Figure 3: Share of part-time employees who would rather work full-time by sector - Text description follows
  • Note: Responses are limited to employees who reported usually working fewer than 30 hours per week.
Figure 3: text version
Sector Share of part-time employees who would rather work full-time
All sectors 45.6%
Air transportation 50.3%
Rail transportation 78.6%
Road transportation 36.6%
Maritime transportation 38.6%
Courier and pipelines 60.0%
Banks 28.9%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 24.0%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 38.9%

Men are much more likely than women to work more than 40 hours per week

Within the federal jurisdiction, 18.9% of employees worked more than 40 hours per week (Figure 4).Footnote 4 Road transportation (46.3%) and maritime transportation (34.4%) were the 2 sectors where employees were the most likely to work more than 40 hours per week. By contrast, working more than 40 hours per week was much less frequent in telecommunications and broadcasting (4.8%) and in banks (7.5%).

Overall, women (6.6%) were less likely than men (25.7%) to work more than 40 hours per week. This trend was more pronounced in certain sectors. For example, men (53.2%) working in road transportation were more than 3 times as likely as women (16.4%) to work more than 40 hours per week. At the same time, men (5.1%) working in telecommunications and broadcasting were almost as likely as women (4.4%) to work such hours.

Figure 4: Share of employees who work more than 40 hours per week by sector and gender
Figure 4: Share of employees who work more than 40 hours per week by sector and gender - Text description follows
Figure 4: text version
Sector Men and Women Men Women
All sectors 18.9% 25.7% 6.6%
Air transportation 14.4% 17.7% 7.4%
Rail transportation 26.8% 28.0% 20.0%
Road transportation 46.3% 53.2% 16.4%
Maritime transportation 34.4% 40.4% 15.2%
Courier and pipelines 10.8% 12.0% 6.9%
Banks 7.5% 11.6% 4.0%
Feed, flour, feed, and grain 18.2% 21.9% 7.4%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 4.8% 5.1% 4.4%

Non-regular work schedules most common in rail and air transportation

Within the federal jurisdiction, 66.2% of employees worked a regular day schedule, while 6.6% worked a regular evening or night schedule (Table 1).Footnote 5 The remaining 27.2% of employees worked a non-regular work schedule, which includes a rotating shift, a split shift, an irregular schedule, or some other work schedule. Employees working in rail transportation (52.7%) and air transportation (51.8%) were the most likely to have a non-regular work schedule, while employees working in banks were the least likely (5.6%). At the same time, employees working in courier services and pipelines (26.0%) were the most susceptible to work a regular night or evening schedule.

Table 1: Share of employees by usual work schedule by sector
Sector Regular day schedule Regular evening or night schedule Non-regular schedule
All sectors 66.2% 6.6% 27.2%
Air transportation 36.7% 11.5% 51.8%
Rail transportation 40.7% 6.6% 52.7%
Road transportation 52.2% 7.4% 40.5%
Maritime transportation 50.7% 2.9% 46.4%
Courier and pipelines 59.3% 26.0% 14.8%
Banks 94.1% 0.3% 5.6%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 69.9% 4.6% 25.5%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 75.1% 3.4% 21.5%
  • Note: A non-regular work schedule includes a rotating shift, a split shift, an irregular schedule, or some other work schedule.

Men are more likely to work a non-regular schedule compared to women

About 78% of all women employees had a regular day schedule compared with 60% of men. Of the remaining 40% of men, 8% had a regular evening or night schedule, while 32% had a non-regular schedule (Figure 5). Meanwhile, of the remaining 22% of women, 4% had a regular evening or night schedule, while 18% had a non-regular work schedule. Non-regular work schedules were much more common for men than for women in the following sectors: road transportation, maritime transportation, and feed, flour, seed and grain.

Figure 5: Share of employees with non-regular work schedules by sector and gender
Figure 5: Share of employees with non-regular work schedules by sector and gender - Text description follows
  • Note: A non-regular work schedule includes a rotating shift, a split shift, an irregular schedule, or some other work schedule.
Figure 5: text version
Sector Men and Women Men Women
All sectors 27.2% 31.9% 18.4%
Air transportation 51.8% 50.5% 54.8%
Rail transportation 52.7% 52.4% 54.5%
Road transportation 40.5% 45.4% 19.2%
Maritime transportation 46.4% 53.6% 23.5%
Courier and pipelines 14.8% 15.5% 12.3%
Banks 5.6% 5.1% 6.0%
Feed, flour, feed, and grain 25.5% 31.0% 9.2%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 21.5% 23.4% 18.7%

Most employees working a non-regular work schedule would prefer to work a regular schedule

Among employees working a non-regular schedule, 53.4% indicated that they would prefer to work a regular schedule.Footnote 6 Employees in rail transportation (70.3%), telecommunications and broadcasting (68.9%), and feed, flour, seed and grain (63.9%) were the most likely to have such a preference (Figure 6).

Overall, men (53.4%) working a non-regular schedule were as likely as women (53.2%) to prefer to work a regular schedule. However, there were certain differences by sector. For example, women in banks (53.1%) with a non-regular schedule were much more likely than men (34.4%) to state that they would prefer to have a regular schedule. The opposite was true in feed, flour, seed and grain, with 66.3% of men with a non-regular schedule stating that they would prefer to work a regular schedule compared to 40.0% of women.

Figure 6: Share of employees with a non-regular work schedule that would prefer to work a regular work schedule by sector
Figure 6: Share of employees with a non-regular work schedule that would prefer to work a regular work schedule by sector - Text description follows
  • Note: Responses are limited to employees who reported usually having a non-regular work schedule at the business in question.
Figure 6: text version
Sector Men and Women Men Women
All sectors 53.4% 53.4% 53.2%
Air transportation 50.7% 50.9% 50.2%
Rail transportation 70.3% 71.6% 62.9%
Road transportation 50.6% 51.2% 44.7%
Maritime transportation 47.1% 47.6% 43.6%
Courier and pipelines 59.5% 61.0% 52.7%
Banks 45.1% 34.4% 53.1%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 63.9% 66.3% 40.0%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 68.9% 68.8% 69.1%

Employees in road and rail transportation most likely to know their work schedule 24 hours or less in advance

Within the federal jurisdiction, among employees who reported that their work schedule was something other than a daytime, evening, or night regular schedule, 19.2% indicated that their work schedule did not regularly change (Table 2).Footnote 7 Among the remaining, 32.8% stated that they knew their schedule 24 hours or less in advance, 11.5% between 2 and 6 days in advance, 15.4% between 1 and 2 weeks in advance, and 21.0% more than 2 weeks in advance. Employees in road transportation (64.0%) and rail transportation (53.2%) were the most likely to know their schedule 24 hours or less in advance, while employees in telecommunications and broadcasting (3.7%) were the least likely.

Table 2: Time in advance that schedule is generally known by sector
Sector 24 hours or less 2 to 6 days 1 to 2 weeks More than 2 weeks No regular change
All sectors 32.8% 11.5% 15.4% 21.0% 19.2%
Air transportation 13.6% 8.8% 23.9% 34.3% 19.3%
Rail transportation 53.2% 9.3% 9.7% 9.9% 17.8%
Road transportation 64.0% 14.2% 4.8% 1.5% 15.4%
Maritime transportation 29.0% 17.3% 9.7% 12.9% 31.1%
Courier and pipelines 31.5% 17.5% 18.3% 4.8% 28.0%
Banks 16.1%E 6.9%E 9.3%E 41.7%E 25.9%E
Feed, flour, seed and grain 21.5% 18.6% 12.6% 18.1% 29.3%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 3.7% 8.2% 29.0% 42.5% 16.6%
  • Notes: Responses are limited to employees who reported that their usual work schedule was something other than a regular daytime schedule, a regular evening schedule or a regular night schedule.
  • E: Use estimate with caution: 95% confidence intervals are wide.

Among employees whose work schedule regularly changed, 58.4% indicated that they were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the time in advance they knew their work schedule (Table 3).Footnote 8 The sector where employees were the least likely to be “very satisfied” or “satisfied” was rail transportation (33.9%), followed by courier services and pipelines (53.0%).

Table 3: Satisfaction with amount of notice received about work schedule by sector
Sector Very satisfied or satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Dissatisfied or very dissatisfied Not applicable
All sectors 58.4% 22.7% 13.5% 5.4%
Air transportation 60.3% 21.9% 14.1% 3.6%
Rail transportation 33.9% 27.6% 33.9% 4.6%
Road transportation 55.5% 23.2% 14.8% 6.5%
Maritime transportation 60.9% 22.4% 11.2% 5.5%
Courier and pipelines 53.0% 20.0% 15.8% 11.1%
Banks 62.9% 24.9% 3.8% 8.4%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 64.7% 16.5% 11.9% 6.9%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 64.1% 23.6% 9.3% 3.0%
  • Note: Responses are limited to employees who reported that their usual work schedule was something other than a regular daytime schedule, a regular evening schedule or a regular night schedule and that their work schedule regularly changed.

Most employees are satisfied with their ability to meet their family needs given their work schedule

The majority (64.7%) of federal jurisdiction employees were either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with their ability to meet their family needs given their work schedule.Footnote 9 Women (69.7%) were more likely than men (62.0%) to be at least “satisfied” (Figure 7). Across federal jurisdiction sectors, employees working in feed, flour, seed and grain (74.3%), telecommunications and broadcasting (71.3%), and banking (71.2%) were the most likely to be “very satisfied” or “satisfied”, while employees in rail transportation (46.7%) were the least likely.

Figure 7: Share of employees who are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the ability to meet family needs given work schedule by gender and sector
Figure 7: Share of employees who are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the ability to meet family needs given work schedule by gender and sector - Text description follows
Figure 7: text version
Sector Men and Women Men Women
All sectors 64.7% 62.0% 69.7%
Air transportation 55.6% 54.0% 59.1%
Rail transportation 46.7% 46.6% 47.8%
Road transportation 61.0% 59.3% 68.2%
Maritime transportation 62.0% 60.7% 66.1%
Courier and pipelines 60.1% 60.8% 57.5%
Banks 71.2% 67.2% 74.6%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 74.3% 72.6% 79.3%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 71.3% 71.5% 71.2%

Availability of telework is limited outside of banking and telecommunications and broadcasting

Among employees under federal jurisdiction, 51.8% had access to at least one type of flexible work arrangement, 26.8% were not offered any type of flexible work arrangement, while 21.4% stated that they didn’t know (Table 4).Footnote 10 The 2 most common flexible work arrangements were telework (29.3%) and variable work schedule (27.4%). Among federally regulated sectors, flexible work arrangements were the most prevalent in telecommunications and broadcasting (69.9%) and in banks (61.5%), while much less frequent in road transportation (40.4%), feed, flour, seed and grain (40.0%), and rail transportation (34.7%).

Table 4: Availability of flexible work arrangements by sector
Sector Availability of at least one flexible work arrangement None Don't know
All sectors 51.8% 26.8% 21.4%
Air transportation 45.9% 32.5% 21.6%
Rail transportation 34.7% 43.1% 22.2%
Road transportation 40.4% 36.8% 22.8%
Maritime transportation 44.0% 35.4% 20.6%
Courier and pipelines 37.6% 32.5% 29.9%
Banks 61.5% 17.0% 21.5%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 40.0% 37.1% 22.9%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 69.9% 16.3% 13.8%

Teleworking was more prevalent as a flexible work arrangement in the telecommunications and broadcasting sector (57.1%) and in banks (49.0%). Outside of these 2 sectors, between 8.1% and 20.5% of workers had access to this type of work arrangement (Figure 8). At the same time, depending on the sector, between 18.9% and 32.9% of employees had access to a variable work schedule.

Figure 8: Share of employees who indicated that telework was one of the flexible work arrangements offered by their employer by sector
Figure 8: Share of employees who indicated that telework was one of the flexible work arrangements offered by their employer by sector - Text description follows
Figure 8: text version
Sector Share of employees who indicated that telework was one of the flexible work arrangements offered by their employer
All sectors 29.3%
Air transportation 12.9%
Rail transportation 8.1%
Road transportation 8.8%
Maritime transportation 20.5%
Courier and pipelines 9.9%
Banks 49.0%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 15.6%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 57.1%

Employees in rail transportation least likely to be satisfied with the flexible work arrangements available to them

About 78.9% of employees who had access to one or more flexible work arrangements were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the work arrangements available to them (Figure 9).Footnote 11 Meanwhile, 15.6% of employees were “neither satisfied nor dissatisfied” and 5.6% were “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied”. Employees in rail transportation (56.2%) were the least likely to be “very satisfied” or “satisfied”.

Figure 9: Share of employees who are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the flexible work arrangements available to them by sector
Figure 9: Share of employees who are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the flexible work arrangements available to them by sector - Text description follows
  • Note: Responses are limited to employees who reported that one or more flexible work arrangements were available.
Figure 9: text version
Sector Share of employees who are "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with the flexible work arrangements available to them
All sectors 78.9%
Air transportation 71.6%
Rail transportation 56.2%
Road transportation 76.2%
Maritime transportation 72.5%
Courier and pipelines 66.8%
Banks 85.9%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 83.1%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 78.7%

Rail transportation is the sector with the highest share of workers working paid overtime

Among employees under federal jurisdiction, 26.4% worked paid overtime in a typical week (Figure 10).Footnote 12 About 12.5% of employees stated that during a typical week, they performed 6 hours or more of paid overtime. On average, workers under federal jurisdiction indicated that they worked 2.5 hours per week in paid overtime.

Among federally regulated sectors, rail transportation (48.3%), courier services and pipelines (46.8%), and feed, flour, seed and grain (46.5%) were the 3 sectors with the highest proportions of workers working paid overtime. On the other hand, banking (11.9%) was the sector where workers were the least likely to perform such overtime. In terms of overtime hours, workers in feed, flour, seed and grain (23.7%) were the most likely to work 6 or more hours of paid overtime, while workers in telecommunications and broadcasting (5.3%) were the least likely.

Figure 10: Share of employees working paid overtime hours in a typical week by sector
Figure 10: Share of employees working paid overtime hours in a typical week by sector - Text description follows
Figure 10: text version
Sector Share of employees working paid overtime hours in a typical week
All sectors 26.4%
Air transportation 33.1%
Rail transportation 48.3%
Road transportation 28.7%
Maritime transportation 36.8%
Courier and pipelines 46.8%
Banks 11.9%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 46.5%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 21.2%

Unpaid overtime most common in banks

About 32.5% of employees under federal jurisdiction reported working unpaid overtime in a typical week, with 16.5% of employees indicating that they worked 6 hours or more of unpaid overtime in a typical week (Figure 11). On average, workers under federal jurisdiction indicated that they worked 2.7 hours of unpaid overtime per week.

Workers in banks (50.4%) were the most likely to work unpaid overtime in a typical week, doing on average 4.2 hours of unpaid overtime per week. Overall, some 28.3% of workers in this sector worked 6 or more hours of unpaid overtime in a typical week. By contrast, workers in air transportation (18.3%) and in courier services and pipelines (15.7%) were the least likely to work such hours. Employees in these 2 sectors worked between 1.3 and 1.4 hours of unpaid overtime on average per week.

Figure 11: Share of employees working unpaid overtime hours in a typical week by sector
Figure 11: Share of employees working unpaid overtime hours in a typical week by sector - Text description follows
Figure 11: text version
Sector Share of employees working unpaid overtime hours in a typical week
All sectors 32.5%
Air transportation 18.3%
Rail transportation 20.0%
Road transportation 21.3%
Maritime transportation 28.7%
Courier and pipelines 15.7%
Banks 50.4%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 22.0%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 36.4%

Unpaid overtime more common among salaried employees

Of the employees who worked unpaid overtime hours, 84.2% were salaried while 15.8% were paid by the hour. Overall, salaried employees were more likely to perform unpaid overtime hours than those paid by the hour, with 45.6% working such hours compared to 12.8% of employees paid by the hour (Figure 12). Moreover, salaried workers worked on average more unpaid overtime hours per week than their counterparts paid by the hour, 3.9 hours versus 0.9 hours.

Salaried employees working in banks (53.5%) and in courier services and pipelines (53.2%) were the most likely to work unpaid overtime hours, while those working in road transportation (29.7%) were the least likely. Salaried employees in banks worked on average 4.5 hours of unpaid overtime in a typical week, while workers in telecommunications and broadcasting did 3.1 hours.

Figure 12: Share of salaried employees working unpaid overtime hours in a typical week by sector
Figure 12: Share of salaried employees working unpaid overtime hours in a typical week by sector - Text description follows
Figure 12: text version
Sector Share of salaried employees working unpaid overtime hours in a typical week
All sectors 45.6%
Air transportation 36.4%
Rail transportation 35.3%
Road transportation 29.7%
Maritime transportation 42.5%
Courier and pipelines 53.2%
Banks 53.5%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 43.1%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 46.5%

Employees paid by the hour working in telecommunications and broadcasting (23.0%) were the most likely to work unpaid overtime hours, while employees working in courier services and pipelines (6.5%) were the least likely (Figure 13). Employees paid by the hour in telecommunications and broadcasting worked on average 1.5 hours of unpaid overtime and those in courier services and pipelines 0.5 hours.

Figure 13: Share of employees paid by the hour working unpaid overtime hours by sector
Figure 13: Share of employees paid by the hour working unpaid overtime hours by sector - Text description follows
Figure 13: text version
Sector Share of employees paid by the hour working unpaid overtime hours
All sectors 12.8%
Air transportation 10.8%
Rail transportation 10.8%
Road transportation 10.8%
Maritime transportation 14.9%
Courier and pipelines 6.5%
Banks 17.9%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 9.1%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 23.0%

Employees in banks most likely to be at least a little concerned about negative consequences for refusing overtime

About 14.1% of employees with overtime hours were extremely or very concerned about negative consequences if they refused overtime (Table 5).Footnote 13 Another 14.2% were “concerned”, 25.0% were “a little concerned”, and 46.7% were “not at all concerned”. Employees working in telecommunications and broadcasting (55.8%) and in banks (62.5%) were the most likely to be at least a little concerned.

Table 5: Degree of concern about negative consequences for refusing overtime hours by sector
Sector Extremely or very concerned Concerned A little concerned Not at all concerned
All sectors 14.1% 14.2% 25.0% 46.7%
Air transportation 12.5% 13.7% 22.1% 51.7%
Rail transportation 23.5% 9.8% 17.5% 49.1%
Road transportation 12.7% 13.3% 19.5% 54.5%
Maritime transportation 10.7% 15.0% 24.3% 50.0%
Courier and pipelines 11.6% 11.4% 23.2% 53.7%
Banks 17.6% 16.6% 28.3% 37.5%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 9.3% 7.6% 21.3% 61.8%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 11.6% 13.8% 30.4% 44.2%
  • Note: Responses limited to employees who reported working paid and/or unpaid overtime hours.

Employees in rail transportation most likely to report feeling at least some pressure from their employer to take on overtime work

About 60% of employees reported feeling at least some pressure from their employer to take on overtime work, including 12.1% who felt a lot of pressure, 22.8% who felt some pressure, and 25.1% who felt a little pressure (Table 6).Footnote 14 Employees in rail transportation (68.5%) and banks (65.6%) were the likeliest to feel at least a little pressure.

Table 6: Share of employees by degree of pressure to take on overtime work by sector
Sector A lot of pressure Some pressure A little pressure No pressure at all
All sectors 12.1% 22.8% 25.1% 40.0%
Air transportation 15.9% 20.6% 23.7% 39.8%
Rail transportation 24.2% 20.6% 23.7% 31.5%
Road transportation 11.7% 21.3% 19.7% 47.3%
Maritime transportation 13.3% 20.3% 21.9% 44.5%
Courier and pipelines 13.2% 18.5% 23.9% 44.4%
Banks 11.2% 27.2% 27.2% 34.4%
Feed, flour, seed and grain 9.3% 19.3% 23.9% 47.5%
Telecommunications and broadcasting 9.2% 20.6% 31.2% 39.0%
  • Note: Responses limited to employees who reported working paid and/or unpaid overtime hours.

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

  1. 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".
  2. 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.
  3. The estimates presented in this report are based on valid responses only, invalid responses have been excluded.
  4. Where relevant, estimates may not sum to exactly 100% due to rounding.
  5. 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.

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2025-03-11