Commuting Patterns and Places of Work of Canadians, 2006 Census: National, provincial and territorial portraits

Place of work status

Falling employment in agriculture is reflected in a declining number of farmers, farm managers and general farm workers working at home

In 2006, as in 2001, the largest number of people working at home were employed as farmers and farm managers. Nonetheless, the number of people in this occupation working at home fell, from 198,700 workers in 2001 to 154,900 in 2006 (a decrease of 22%). In Saskatchewan, this fall was even greater, with a 28% drop in the number of farmers and farm managers over the past five years.

The number of general farm workers also decreased, from 57,300 in 2001 to 46,000 in 2006.

The data from the 2006 Census of Agriculture showed that the number of farms and farmers had continued to fall over the past five-year period (in every province, but faster in Newfoundland and Labrador and in Saskatchewan). Despite this decline, the Census of Agriculture also indicated that the average size of farms, in terms of surface area, had increased, and that the number of 'millionaire' farms, i.e., those with a gross farm income of $1 million or more, had grown.¹

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