The National Household Survey is a survey compiled every year by Statistics Canada so they can gather social and economic data about Canadians, where we live and how we live. Everything from transportation to our careers is always covered, and here are the top points from this year’s survey which was done just last week:
- We are crazy about cars. In 2011 nearly 93 per cent of us drove to work (that’s almost all of us!) and most of us did it alone.
- Maybe we did that because it’s so much faster. The average commute time when driving was 25 minutes in 2011; those who took transit had a 43-minute wait until they arrived at work or home.
- English is the language most often used in the workplace (85 per cent) with just 25 per cent using French in 2011.
- But we’re more than just a bilingual country – we’re also extremely multicultural. Perhaps that’s why Chinese is the second-most popular language spoken after English and French.
- We are delaying retirement, with 18.7 per cent of the working group over the age of 55. Just ten years ago in 2011 that percentage was at 11.7.
- We will relocate for work, and the two most popular places to go are Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
- Having a post-secondary education may not get you more pay at work, but it will greatly increase your chances of being employed.
- Those most likely to have a job are either veterinarians, doctors, dentists, and optometrists.
- Retail is a huge influence over our lives – it’s the category that sees the most employment for both men and women.
- The trades are still largely a boys’ club with 80 per cent of all apprenticeships currently being held by men.
- On the flip side of that, the occupations most likely to be taken by women are retail sales, administrative assistant, nurse, and cashier.
- Younger Canadians are more about hospitality than they are manual labour. Canadians aged 25 to 34 are far more likely to be training as a cook than they are as an auto mechanic or construction worker.
What do you think about the results of the survey? Right on track with what you’re seeing, or do you think it’s missed the mark somehow?
