Focus on local cultural labour forces
Summer unlocked: Article #4
Today’s article provides links to five newly unlocked articles related to trends in the cultural workforce in 31 Census Metropolitan Areas across the country between 2013 and 2025. The articles relate to:
The 6 largest CMAs, the Canadian average, and the average for all 31 CMAs with reliable data
7 CMAs with populations between 500,000 and 1 million
10 smaller metropolitan areas (populations between 220,000 and 500,000)
8 CMAs with populations below 200,000
Small municipalities and rural areas (i.e., all areas of Canada outside the 31 CMAs for which we have reliable data)
For notes about the data source and occupation categories, see the start of first article or the end of all other articles.
Clickable links are below, within the article previews.
Key findings
These articles pinpoint the changes (including a graph) in each of the 31 CMAs. However, my summary here focuses on groups of CMAs by size. You know what to do: follow the links for fuller details.
Here is my take on some particularly interesting findings in these articles regarding changes between 2013 and 2025:
There has been a relatively consistent increase in the number of workers in the arts, culture, heritage, and sport since 2013. The estimate in 2025 (641,000) is 26% higher than the estimate in 2013 (510,000).
The 28% increase in the number of workers in the arts, culture, heritage, and sport in the 31 CMAs is slightly above the Canadian average (26%). 29 of the 31 CMAs saw an increase, and the other two saw a very small decrease.
Smaller metropolitan areas had the highest cultural workforce increase over the past dozen years (i.e., 10 CMAs with populations between 220,000 and 500,000).
The 26% increase in number of workers in the arts, culture, heritage, and sport in the 6 largest CMAs is equal to the Canadian average.
The 30% increase in number of workers in the arts, culture, heritage, and sport in 7 CMAs with populations between 500,000 and 1 million is slightly above to the Canadian average (26%). Most of the increase has occurred since 2022.
The 30% increase in number of workers in the arts, culture, heritage, and sport in 8 CMAs with populations below 200,000 is slightly above the Canadian average (26%).
There was a 15% increase in number of workers in the arts, culture, heritage, and sport in small municipalities and rural areas, which is below the Canadian average (26%).
Article previews and links
Local trends in the arts, culture, and heritage workforce between 2013 and 2025 (Part 1)
Local data alert! In a series of articles in March, I will analyze local statistics on the number of workers in arts, culture, heritage, and (some) sport occupations in 31 Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs), using data from 2013 to 2025. The data are available for CMAs, not for municipalities per se.
Part 2: Local trends in the arts, culture, and heritage workforce between 2013 and 2025
Today, as part of my series of articles analyzing local statistics on workers in arts, culture, heritage, and some sport occupations, I examine individual and group changes between 2013 and 2025 for 7 CMAs with populations between 500,000 and 1,000,000:
Smaller metropolitan areas had the highest cultural workforce increase over the past dozen years (populations between 220,000 and 500,000)
Today I continue my series of articles analyzing local statistics on workers in arts, culture, heritage, and some sport occupations with a study of individual and group changes between 2013 and 2025 for 10 CMAs with populations between 220,000 and 500,000:
Changes in the cultural workforce in 8 CMAs with populations below 200,000
Today I offer the fourth instalment in my series of articles analyzing local statistics on workers in arts, culture, heritage, and some sport occupations. The article studies changes between 2013 and 2025 for 8 CMAs with populations under 200,000 (analyzed individually and as a group). The 8 CMAs are:
Changes in the cultural workforce in small municipalities and rural areas
Today’s article provides an analysis of changes in the cultural workforce between 2013 and 2025 for what I’m calling “small municipalities and rural areas”. This label of convenience casts a fairly broad net, because the statistics actually relate to all areas of Canada outside the 31 Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) for which we have reliable data.