Contents
- Canadian self employment statistics: Current estimates and long-term trends
- Canadian self employment statistics: Rates by gender, age and population group
- Canadian self employment statistics: Canadian self employment in Canada: Industries, occupations and provinces
- Canadian self employment statistics: Incorporation, paid help and business arrangements
- Canadian self employment statistics: Gig work, clients and business plans
- Sources
Canadian self employment statistics: Current estimates and long-term trends
Statistics Canada’s seasonally adjusted Labour Force Survey estimated 2,739.1 thousand self-employed people in Canada in October 2026. The count was 51.5 thousand higher than in October 2025, while the month-to-month change from September to October 2026 was a decrease of 1.8 thousand. These figures describe different comparison periods: the annual change shows movement over 12 months, while the monthly change captures the latest interval. Source: Statistics Canada, Employment by class of worker and industry, seasonally adjusted
The longer view puts the monthly estimate in context. Self-employment accounted for 17.2% of total employment in 1998, then 13.2% in 2023. The first figure is the reported high for the period from 1990 to 1998; the second is the annual average for 2023. This is a share of total employment, not a count of all Canadians, and it should not be confused with later figures that describe particular groups or business arrangements. Source: Statistics Canada, Experiences of self-employed workers in Canada, 2023
| Reference period | Self-employment measure | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Share of total employment | 17.2% |
| 2023 annual average | Share of total employment | 13.2% |
| October 2025 to October 2026 | Change in seasonally adjusted count | +51.5 thousand |
| September to October 2026 | Change in seasonally adjusted count | −1.8 thousand |
| October 2026 | Seasonally adjusted count | 2,739.1 thousand |
[Sources: Statistics Canada, historical and annual self-employment rates and monthly employment estimates]
The annual rate and monthly count are not interchangeable measures. The rate indicates self-employment’s share of total employment; the monthly series counts people in thousands and is seasonally adjusted. The comparison years also differ: 1998 and 2023 are annual historical reference points, while October 2026 is a monthly estimate. The available observations establish those levels and changes without identifying a cause for them.
Canadian self employment statistics: Rates by gender, age and population group
Women represented 37% of Canada’s self-employed population in 2022, compared with 26% in 1976. This is a measure of women’s share among all self-employed people. It answers a different question from the self-employment rate among working women, which measures the share of working women who were self-employed. In 2022, that rate was 10.5%; among working men, it was 16.1%. Source: Statistics Canada, Self-employment among women in Canada
| Measure | Reference year | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Women’s share of the self-employed population | 1976 | 26% |
| Women’s share of the self-employed population | 2022 | 37% |
| Self-employment rate among working women | 2022 | 10.5% |
| Self-employment rate among working men | 2022 | 16.1% |
Source: Statistics Canada, Self-employment among women in Canada
Age also distinguishes the reported rates for working women. In 2022, 2% of working women aged 15 to 24 were self-employed. The rate was 10% among women aged 25 to 54 and 18% among women aged 55 and older. These are age-group rates among working women, not each group’s share of all self-employed women. Source: Statistics Canada, Self-employment among women in Canada
| Working women’s age group | Self-employment rate, 2022 |
|---|---|
| 15 to 24 | 2% |
| 25 to 54 | 10% |
| 55 and older | 18% |
Source: Statistics Canada, Self-employment among women in Canada
Together, the measures show why a demographic comparison needs its denominator stated: women’s share of all self-employed people rose between 1976 and 2022, while the 2022 gender rates compare self-employment within each working population. The age figures narrow the denominator further to working women in each age group. They do not, on their own, explain why the rates differ.
Canadian self employment statistics: Canadian self employment in Canada: Industries, occupations and provinces
Industry shares and occupation rates describe distinct patterns. Among own-account workers in 2023, 19.0% were in professional, scientific and technical services, and 12.5% were in construction. Agriculture’s share of own-account workers was 20.7% in 1987 and 4.5% in 2023. These figures describe the distribution of own-account workers across industries; they are not the proportion of each industry’s workforce that is self-employed. Source: Statistics Canada, Own-account worker rate, 2023
Occupational figures instead use employed people in a named occupation group as the denominator. In 2023, 33.8% of employed people in art, culture, recreation and sports occupations were own-account workers. The rate was 24.2% among employed people in natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations. Source: Statistics Canada, Own-account worker rate, 2023
| Own-account worker measure | Reference period | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Share working in professional, scientific and technical services | 2023 annual average | 19.0% |
| Share working in construction | 2023 annual average | 12.5% |
| Share working in agriculture | 1987 | 20.7% |
| Share working in agriculture | 2023 | 4.5% |
| Rate among employed people in art, culture, recreation and sports occupations | 2023 annual average | 33.8% |
| Rate among employed people in natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations | 2023 annual average | 24.2% |
Source: Statistics Canada, Own-account worker rate, 2023
Geography offers another view. British Columbia’s own-account worker rate was 11.4% in 2023, and Alberta’s was 10.1%. Newfoundland and Labrador’s rate was 4.9%. Each is a province-level rate: own-account workers as a share of the employed population in that province. Own-account workers are self-employed people without employees working continuously for them, so these provincial rates should not be treated as rates for all forms of self-employment. Source: Statistics Canada, Own-account worker rate, 2023
| Province | Own-account workers as a share of employed population, 2023 annual average |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | 11.4% |
| Alberta | 10.1% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 4.9% |
Source: Statistics Canada, Own-account worker rate, 2023
The industry history for agriculture compares 1987 with 2023. The more recent industry and occupation measures refer to 2023 annual averages, while the provincial figures compare own-account work within each province’s employed population. Keeping those denominators separate makes the patterns readable without suggesting that they are all shares of the same group.
Canadian self employment statistics: Incorporation, paid help and business arrangements
Incorporation became more common among self-employed workers over the longer period measured: the incorporated share increased from 20.9% in 1976 to 48.1% in 2023. A separate 2023 supplement snapshot shows how incorporation and paid help combine in business arrangements. In the fourth quarter of 2023, 71.9% of self-employed workers had no employees. Within overall self-employment, 46.2% were unincorporated without paid help, while 25.7% were incorporated without employees. Source: Statistics Canada, Experiences of self-employed workers in Canada, 2023
| Business arrangement | Share of overall self-employment, fourth quarter 2023 |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated, no paid help | 46.2% |
| Incorporated, no paid help | 25.7% |
Source: Statistics Canada, Experiences of self-employed workers in Canada, 2023
The supplement estimates cover self-employed people aged 15 to 69 in the provinces. The 71.9% figure refers to workers without employees; the two arrangement shares distinguish incorporation status among workers without paid help. They are not all definitions of the same characteristic, and the fourth-quarter snapshot should not be read as a full-year estimate. Source: Statistics Canada, Experiences of self-employed workers in Canada, 2023
Business ownership arrangements also include partnerships. In the fourth quarter of 2023, 79.1% of self-employed workers had no co-owners or partners. Among unincorporated self-employed workers without paid help, 7.4% had co-owners or partners. The latter figure applies to that specific arrangement group, rather than to all self-employed people. Source: Statistics Canada, Experiences of self-employed workers in Canada, 2023
Canadian self employment statistics: Gig work, clients and business plans
Statistics Canada’s report uses a specific proxy to identify gig work in a main job. It applies to self-employed workers with no employees, partners or dedicated business premises who either work fewer than 15 hours per week or lack a stable client base. Under that measure, 26.6% of self-employed Canadians, or 639,000 people, met the definition in the fourth quarter of 2023. The percentage and count refer to that report’s measure and period. Source: Statistics Canada, Experiences of self-employed workers in Canada, 2023
The reported share varied across groups. Among self-employed women, 32.2% met the main-job gig-work measure in the fourth quarter of 2023. By age, the share was 41.7% among self-employed workers aged 15 to 24, 26.0% among those aged 25 to 54, and 26.6% among those aged 55 to 69. The supplement’s population covers ages 15 to 69 in the provinces and excludes territories, Indigenous reserves, institutions and full-time regular Armed Forces members. Source: Statistics Canada, Experiences of self-employed workers in Canada, 2023
| Group | Share meeting the main-job gig-work measure |
|---|---|
| All self-employed Canadians, fourth quarter 2023 | 26.6% |
| Self-employed women, fourth quarter 2023 | 32.2% |
| Self-employed workers aged 15 to 24, fourth quarter 2023 | 41.7% |
| Self-employed workers aged 25 to 54, fourth quarter 2023 | 26.0% |
| Self-employed workers aged 55 to 69, fourth quarter 2023 | 26.6% |
Source: Statistics Canada, Experiences of self-employed workers in Canada, 2023
The report also presents figures for selected population groups and periods. Among self-employed men in the fourth quarter of 2023, 27.3% of immigrants met the gig-work measure, compared with 20.4% of men born in Canada. Averaging fourth-quarter 2022 and fourth-quarter 2023 estimates, the reported gig-worker share among self-employed Black Canadians was 43.0%. These statistics have different scopes: one compares immigrant status among self-employed men in a single quarter, while the other is a two-quarter average for self-employed Black Canadians. Source: Statistics Canada, Experiences of self-employed workers in Canada, 2023
Finding clients was not equally easy across the industries measured. In the fourth quarter of 2023, 54.6% of self-employed workers agreed or strongly agreed that it was easy to find clients in normal times. The share was 45.1% among self-employed workers in wholesale and retail trade and 73.5% in health care and social assistance. Meanwhile, 15.8% disagreed that finding clients was easy, an increase of 2.7 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2022. These are reported views about client access, not counts of clients or businesses. Source: Statistics Canada, Experiences of self-employed workers in Canada, 2023
Business plans provide a forward-looking snapshot of intentions stated in the same supplement. In the fourth quarter of 2023, 29.8% of self-employed workers planned to expand their business over the next 12 months. Expansion plans were reported by 37.6% of self-employed workers with incorporated businesses and 22.6% with unincorporated businesses. Another 61.2% planned to keep their business about the same over the next 12 months. These are stated plans, not observed outcomes. Source: Statistics Canada, Experiences of self-employed workers in Canada, 2023