English-French Bilingualism outside Quebec contributes $134.8 billion to Canada's GDP
OTTAWA, April 30, 2019 /CNW/ - The Conference Board of Canada's report entitled English-French Bilingualism Outside Quebec: An Economic Portrait of Bilinguals in Canada, April 2019, is now available in both official languages. The report is a portrait of Canadian bilingual workers, outside Quebec, their labour market outcomes, educational attainment, and sectors of activity.
"The study provides a snapshot of the importance of postsecondary education and bilingualism as contributors to better wages and labour market outcomes for Canadians outside Quebec," said Pedro Antunes, Chief Economist at The Conference Board of Canada, adding that "bilinguals outside Quebec contribute $134.8 billion to Canada's GDP."
Highlights:
- In Canada, bilinguals represent one-fifth of the workforce, are more likely to have a university education, and have higher incomes and a lower rate of unemployment than unilinguals.
- Professional, scientific, and technical services are an important sector of activity for Canadian bilinguals, since they include the fields in which we find jobs that are generally stable and well-paid, and where demand for workers is rising.
- 37.1% of bilinguals outside Quebec have at least a bachelor's degree.
- Bilingual workers have higher incomes and tend to be more active in the labour market.
- Bilingual workers create the most wealth in the finance, insurance, and real estate industry, with a contribution to GDP that closes in on $31 billion.
The production of this report was made possible by funding from the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne (ACUFC). The study is based on Statistics Canada data from the 2006 to 2016 Canadian censuses complemented by an in-depth custom survey of 1,000 bilingual respondents outside Quebec.
The main indicators used to create this portrait were geographic distribution, level of education, employment by industry, and income. A customized survey was developed and carried out to complement the census data. We also gauged the contribution that bilinguals make to the gross domestic product by industry and by province.
The Conference Board of Canada is the country's leading independent research organization. Our mission is to empower and inspire leaders to build a stronger future for all Canadians through our trusted research and unparalleled connections. Follow The Conference Board of Canada on Twitter.
SOURCE Conference Board of Canada
Aline Lafrenière, 819-664-1564, lafreniere@conferenceboard.ca or orpcomm@conferenceboard.ca
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