Census learning centre
Languages used at work
Release date: November 30, 2022
Catalogue number: 982000032021027
Hello and welcome to the "Languages used at work" video.
This video provides basic information on the census questions on languages used at work and the main concepts and variables derived from them. It explains the concepts of languages used at work, language used most often at work and other languages used regularly at work. It will also help you understand the changes to the questions since the last census and the impact on historical comparability of this data.
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Concept video: Languages used at work - Transcription
(The Statistics Canada symbol and "Canada" wordmark appear on screen with the title: "Concept video: Languages used at work".)
Welcome to the video on "Languages used at work."
In this video, we will provide basic information on the variables and concepts derived from the 2021 Census questions on languages used at work.
At the end of this video, you will be able to:
- Understand the question about languages used at work and the key variables and concepts derived from it
Understand the changes that were made to the question since the last census.
The census collects a wealth of information on the languages of people living in Canada.
Why are these data important and how are they used?
These data are used in the enforcement and administration of various federal and provincial statutes.
They are also used by researchers, community groups, health care professionals, businesses and other organizations to address issues related to the labour market, human resources, education, access to services, social and economic integration of newcomers, health promotion, and other community programs and services.
The information on languages used at work comes from the 2021 Census long-form questionnaire that was completed by 25% of the Canadian population.
(An image of the 2021 Census 2A-L questionnaire appears on screen.)
The question on languages used at work was asked of individuals aged 15 years or older living in a private household who had been working since January 1st, 2020.
The question refers to the job that a person spent the most hours at during census reference week, from May 2nd to 8th, 2021, or, if the individual did not work that week, the job held longest since January 1st, 2020.
(The following text appears on the screen:
Population for which languages of work information is available.
Persons with recent work experience (between January 1, 2020 and May 8, 2021).
Persons who were employed during the census reference week (from May 2 to May 8, 2021).
Default population used in most language of work products.
Persons who were not employed during the census reference week, but who have been employed at any other time since January 2020.)
Most 2021 Census products present results on languages of work that account only for people who were employed during census week.
Why do we, by default, look at only people who were employed during the census reference week?
This approach, which differs from the one used in previous censuses, helps to provide statistics that better meet most needs and the use of data on languages of work, facilitate data interpretation, and better align with complementary census products on the subjects of work and languages.
For comparability purposes, tables on languages of work are also available for all individuals who have held a job since January 1st, 2020.
The census question on languages used at work has two parts:
(An image of question 50 of the 2021 Census questionnaire appears on screen.)
- Part a) The person must specify the language they use at work on a regular basis. Respondents can indicate more than one language. If only one language is reported, Part B is not asked, and the person moves on to the next question. If more than one language is reported, the person must answer part b of the question.
- Part b) A person who uses more than one language at work on a regular basis must specify the language they use most often. A note specifies that respondents can indicate more than one language if they are all used equally.
(The following text appears on screen:
50. a) In this job, what language(s) did this person use on a regular basis?
- English
- French
- Other language(s) – specify:
If this person indicates only one language in question 50 a), go to question 51.
50. b) Of these languages, which one did this person use most often in this job?
- English
- French
- Other language(s) – specify:)
Three concepts are derived from the question on languages used at work.
The first concept is "All languages used at work." It refers to all the languages used on a regular basis at work. It corresponds to the response given in part A of the question on languages used at work.
(An image of question 50 of the 2021 Census questionnaire appears on screen.)
The second concept is "Language used most often at work." For people who regularly use only one language at work, this corresponds to the response given in part a of the question on languages used at work.
(An image of question 50 a) of the 2021 Census questionnaire appears on screen.)
For people who regularly use more than one language at work, it corresponds to the response given in part b of the question. A person may have reported that they use more than one language with similar frequency most often.
The third concept corresponds to "Other languages used on a regular basis at work," and excludes languages used most often at work. This variable is derived from the first two concepts.
For each of these concepts, single or multiple responses can be produced.
These three concepts use the same variables with the same structures to present the responses.
Two main classifications are used, the broad classification and the detailed classification.
The broad classification consists of the following categories:
Single responses, which include the categories
- English
- French and
- non-official languages. The latter consists of
- Indigenous languages and
non-Indigenous languages.
Then there are multiple responses, which include the categories
- English and French
- English and non-official languages
- French and non-official languages
- English, French and non-official languages and
- Multiple non-official languages.
The detailed classification includes the broad categories found in the broad classification and a detailed list of single responses for Indigenous languages and other non-official languages.
For more information on the different possible approaches to analyzing and interpreting multiple responses to the language questions, see the document entitled "Interpreting and presenting census language data,” which can be found in the links section of this video.
The question on languages used at work in the 2021 Census is slightly different from the question asked in the previous censuses, from 2001 to 2016.
(An image of question 50 of the 2021 Census questionnaire and an image of question 45 of the 2016 Census questionnaire appear on screen.)
The order of the two parts of the question was reversed. From 2001 to 2016, respondents were first asked to indicate the language used most often at work, then they were asked to indicate the other languages used on a regular basis at work.
The change to the question helped to:
- Reduce the response burden for people who regularly use only one language at work and.
- Clarify the question and improve data quality.
Although the question was changed in 2021, the derived variables and concepts are identical to the ones used in the past.
However, the change impacts the comparability of results with results from previous cycles.
The issue of comparability of the 2021 data with data from previous cycles is covered in the 2021 Census technical documents.
(The words, "Thank you for watching the “Languages used at work" video", appear on screen.)
This concludes the “Languages used at work” video.
(The census logo appears with a link, which is also available to view here: Census of population.)
For more detailed information about the concepts, variables, methodology, historical comparability, and more, please refer to Statistics Canada's census web pages.
(The "Canada" wordmark appears. ISBN: 978-0-660-46311-7)
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