Population Spotlight Series

The first of four profiles in the Population Spotlight Series is being launched today, April 20, 2021. The remaining three profiles will be launched in the coming months. These profiles expand on the data presented in Counting on Culture by highlighting data related to participation and income of specific populations within the culture workforce:

1. Cultural Workforce Participation and Income by Sex

2. Cultural Workforce Participation and Income for Indigenous Cultural Workers

3. Cultural Workforce Participation and Income for Racialized Cultural Workers

4. Cultural Workforce Participation and Income by Immigration Status and Period of Immigration

The reports are based on the data collected by Statistics Canada as part of the 2016 Census. Unfortunately, that data source has some limitations that are important to note:

1. The 2016 Census only collected information on the basis of sex (male/female) as opposed to gender. Statistics Canada is aware of the significant limitations of the use of sex at birth instead of gender and, following a series of consultations in 2017 - 2018, will be collecting information on both sex at birth and gender identity in the 2021 census.

2. The Census did not use the term Indigenous, but instead asked about “Aboriginal identities”, including First Nations, Inuit, and Metis. The Population Spotlight Series uses the term Indigenous to referred to respondents who indicated that they have one or more of those identities.

3. The Census used the term “visible minority” to describe respondents who are not white or Indigenous in order to maintain consistency with the federal Employment Equity Act, but the term visible minority assumes Whiteness as default, deracializing Whiteness and othering non-White racial groups. Even where well-intended, this can contribute to marginalization and systemic racism. While the reports use the term visible minority where unavoidable to describe the data, we recognize both the problems and limitations inherent in this terminology.

4. In reference to its 2016 census, Statistics Canada uses the term ‘foreign-born’ population and ‘immigrant population’ interchangeably. Both terms refer to those who are, or who have been, classed as landed immigrants or permanent residents. In other words, persons who have been granted permission to live in Canada permanently, including those who have moved on to naturalized citizenship. This category does not include ‘temporary foreign residents’ such as those on work or study visas, although they do make significant contributions to the cultural life of our region.

Cultural Workers

Cultural workers are defined as workers who identified a ‘culture occupation’ as their primary occupation on the 2016 Census. (note 1) Culture occupations include 54 occupations in the National Occupation Classifications (NOC) that, at least partially, fall within Statistics Canada’s definition of culture. The Canadian Framework for Culture Statistics includes “core”, “ancillary”, and “transversal” culture domains, which are further divided into sub-domains. Core culture sub-domains produce goods and services whose main purpose is the transmission of an intellectual or cultural concept (culture products). Ancillary culture sub-domains produce goods and services that are the result of creative activity (e.g., designs, architectural plans), but their primary purpose is not the transmission of an intellectual or cultural concept (not culture products). Transversal domains include activities such as funding and education that support the cultural sector, but are not directly involved in creative activities or the production of culture products.

See Statistics Canada for a complete list of core, ancillary, and transversal culture sub-domains.

Culture Occupations

Unfortunately, fitting occupations from the NOC into the Framework for Culture Statistics is not a simple task. It is difficult to have a precise list of culture occupations because some occupations are very broad and likely contain both culture and non-culture work. For example, Computer Programmers and Interactive Media Developers is an occupation that includes some work in interactive media (part of a culture domain), but also other programming work that falls outside of the definition of culture. Some of these occupations pay higher wages than other culture occupations, so they can significantly affect the income statistics. As a result, in the Population Spotlight Series we present income statistics both with all culture occupations included and with the culture occupations with large ‘non-culture’ components removed where possible.

The following is a list of the 54 culture occupations. The number beside the name is the NOC code. Occupations marked with an asterisk (*) are those that likely contain both culture and non-culture work. Artist occupations are marked with two asterisks (**).

**5121 Authors and writers

**5131 Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations

**5132 Conductors, composers and arrangers

**5133 Musicians and singers

**5134 Dancers

**5135 Actors and comedians

**5136 Painters, sculptors and other visual artists

**5232 Other performers, not elsewhere classified

**5244 Artisans and craftspersons

0511 Library, archive, museum and art gallery managers

0512 Managers - publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts

2151 Architects

2252 Industrial designers

2175 Web designers and developers

2225 Landscape and horticultural technicians and specialists

2251 Architectural technologists and technicians

2152 Landscape architects

5111 Librarians

5112 Conservators and curators

5113 Archivists

5122 Editors

5123 Journalists

1451 Library assistants and clerks

5211 Library and public archive technicians

5212 Technical occupations related to museums and art galleries

5221 Photographers

5223 Graphic arts technicians

5222 Film and video camera operators

5224 Broadcast technicians

5225 Audio and video recording technicians

5226 Other technical and co-ordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts

5227 Support occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and the performing arts

5231 Announcers and other broadcasters

5241 Graphic designers and illustrators

5242 Interior designers and interior decorators

5243 Theatre, fashion, exhibit and other creative designers

5245 Patternmakers - textile, leather and fur products

1213 Supervisors, library, correspondence and related information workers

1451 Library assistants and clerks

1123 Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations

2224 Conservation and fishery officers

*2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers

*5125 Translators, terminologists and interpreters

*2173 Software engineers and designers

*1253 Records management technicians

*1423 Desktop publishing operators and related occupations

*1452 Correspondence, publication and regulatory clerks

*2153 Urban and land use planners

*2253 Drafting technologists and technicians

*7303 Supervisors, printing and related occupations

*7381 Printing press operators

*9471 Plateless printing equipment operators

*9472 Camera, platemaking and other prepress occupations

*9473 Binding and finishing machine operators

*9474 Photographic and film processors

Notes

1. Participation statistics in the Population Spotlight Series include all full-time workers in culture occupations, according to the 2016 Census. Income statistics include workers who reported in employment income in 2015.