Canada's Changing Labour Force, 2006 Census: The provinces and territories

The aging workforce

Farmers, real estate agents and bus drivers were among occupations with the oldest workers

Similar to 2001, farmers had the highest median age of all occupations in the country in 2006; the median age for this group was 52 in 2006, up from 51 five years earlier. About 84,000 farmers and farm managers were aged 55 or older in 2006, 42% of the total in the occupation.

Real estate agents and property administrators had the next highest median age of 51 in 2006. About 37% of all the workers in these two occupations were aged 55 or older, as were 36% of ministers of religion. The median age among ministers was 50 years.

Other occupations with a high proportion in this age group were bus drivers and other transit operators (34%); senior managers in health, education, social and community services (30%); and senior government managers (26%). The median ages for these three occupations were two years younger in 2001.

All of the occupations with the highest median age in 2006 were also characterized by a heavy share of older workers in 2001.

  Previous page | Table of contents | Next page