Labour Force
Explore the latest labour and workforce, demographic, business, and industry data to learn more about Oakville’s economy.
Companies located in Oakville have access to a labour pool of over 3.9 million workers in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), and 2.1 million workers within a 40 minute drive.
Source: Environics Analytics, 2023 Estimates
Labour force activity
Oakville has higher rates of participation than the Province of Ontario.
Sources: Environics Analytics, 2024 Estimates; *Town of Oakville, 2023
Occupation
Oakville has a high percentage of residents with occupations in:
- management
- business, finance and administration;
- sciences; and
- art, culture, recreation and sport.
Occupations highlighted in green are of a higher percentage in Oakville than the Province of Ontario.
Management
Oakville: 3,879 - 1.96%
Ontario: 104,066 - 0.78%
Business, finance and administration
Oakville: 31,303 - 15.79%
Ontario: 1,555,902 - 11.67%
Sciences
Oakville: 18.717 - 9.44%
Ontario: 861,311 - 6.46%
Health
Oakville: 9,010 - 4.54%
Ontario: 646,220 - 4.85%
Education, law and social, community and government
Oakville: 14,436 - 7.28%
Ontario: 1,000,1297 - 7.5%
Art, culture, recreation and sport
Oakville: 4,885 - 2.46%
Ontario: 265,395 - 1.99%
Sales and service
Oakville: 26,856 - 13.55%
Ontario: 1,817,906 - 13.63%
Trades, transport and operators
Oakville: 11,235 - 5.67%
Ontario: 1,292,524 - 9.69%
Primary industries, (natural resources, agriculture and related)
Oakville: 1,034 - 0.52%
Ontario: 158,902 - 1.19%
Manufacturing and utilities
Oakville: 2,772 - 1.4%
Ontario: 388,589 - 2.91%
Source: Environics Analytics, 2024 Estimates
Industry
Oakville has a high percentage of residents working in the industries of:
- information and cultural;
- finance and insurance; and
- professional, scientific and technical services
Industry categories highlighted in green are of a higher percentage in Oakville than in the Province of Ontario.
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
Oakville: 368 - 0.3%
Ontario: 120,026 - 1.48%
Mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction
Oakville: 524 - 0.42%
Ontario: 39,581 - 0.49%
Utilities
Oakville: 928 - 0.75%
Ontario: 65,674 - 0.81%
Construction
Oakville: 6,317 - 5.07%
Ontario: 597,270 - 7.36%
Manufacturing
Oakville: 8,396 - 6.74%
Ontario: 734,471 - 9.05%
Wholesale trade
Oakville: 6,642 - 5.34%
Ontario: 278,245 - 3.43%
Retail trade
Oakville: 13,065 - 10.5%
Ontario: 892,547 - 11%
Transportation and warehousing
Oakville: 4,736 - 3.8%
Ontario: 432,592 - 5.33%
Information and cultural industries
Oakville: 3,664 - 2.98%
Ontario: 196,057 - 2.42%
Finance and insurance
Oakville: 13,232 - 10.63%
Ontario: 456,653 - 5.63%
Real estate, rental and leasing
Oakville: 3,974 - 3.19%
Ontario: 174,006 - 2.14%
Professional, scientific and technical services
Oakville: 19,145 - 15.38%
Ontario: 773,874 - 9.54%
Management of companies or enterprises
Oakville: 1,206 - 0.97%
Ontario: 33,049 - 0.41%
Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services
Oakville: 4,213 - 3.38%
Ontario: 363,563 - 4.48%
Educational services
Oakville: 9,110 - 7.32%
Ontario: 596,794 - 7.36%
Health care and social assistance
Oakville: 12,010 - 9.65%
Ontario: 960,756 - 11.84%
Arts, entertainment and recreation
Oakville: 2,347 - 1.89%
Ontario: 151,121 - 1.86%
Accommodation and food services
Oakville: 5,580 - 4.48%
Ontario: 440,312 - 5.43%
Other services (except public administration)
Oakville: 3,747 - 3.01%
Ontario: 317,029 - 3.91%
Public administration
Oakville: 5,278 - 4.24%
Ontario: 489,401 - 6.03%
Source: Environics Analytics, 2024 Estimates, Current year $.
Business size by number of employees
Small businesses are an important part of Oakville’s economy, with just under 65 per cent of local businesses having between one and four employees.
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Counts, June 2024 - businesses with employees.
Business size by number of employees
Small businesses are an important part of Oakville’s economy, with just under 65 per cent of local businesses having between one and four employees.
| Number of employees | Percentage of all businesses in Oakville |
|---|---|
| 500 and above | 0.3 |
| 200 to 499 | 0.5 |
| 100 to 199 | 1.2 |
| 50 to 99 | 2.5 |
| 20 to 49 | 7.1 |
| 10 to 19 | 8.9 |
| 5 to 9 | 14.5 |
| 1 to 4 | 64.9 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Counts, December 2023.