A lot can change in 30 years. Different businesses open and close their doors, and advances in technology and shifts in the labour market change the way we work.
At NB-IRDT, we examined self-employment trends in New Brunswick over the past 30 years (1982-2016) to see if/how self-employment has changed – and why.
While the proportion of self-employed New Brunswickers has remained fairly consistent over the years, our researchers noted some interesting trends. For instance,
- The gender gap in self-employment and related income is shrinking
- Self-employment is growing among seniors but remains low among workers under age 25
- Regions outside the large municipalities are seeing fewer self-employed individuals but steady self-employment rates
- Self-employment in the Fisheries and Forestry sectors has decreased by over 50%