Establishments with employees

In 2010, the Capital Region had 42,640 establishments with employees, making up 29.1% of all establishments with employees in Alberta.  Of these establishments 40,453 or 94.9% were small companies with between 1 and 49 employees. Aside from the Wood Buffalo region, this region has the smallest share of small businesses. Micro-businesses with fewer than five employees have a 55.3% share of the region’s total number of companies and large companies with 50 or more employees have a 5.0% share, compared to the 4.4% Alberta average.

Number of Establishments by Employee Size in 2010: Capital Region and Alberta

Between 2005 and 2010, there was an increase of 2.1% (or 896) in the total number of businesses in the Capital Region and a 3.3% increase (or 1,307 companies) in the number of small businesses.  By comparison, at the provincial level, the total number of businesses increased by 2.3% and small companies experienced an increase of 3.4% over the same period.
In the Capital Region, 78.6% of companies with employees were involved in Service Industries as of 2010.  Total growth in the number of service industries was 1.4% over the past five years, while total growth in the goods industries was higher at 5.1% over the same period. 

The largest industry in the region, comprising 14.3% of business establishments with employees, was Professional, Scientific and Technical Services in 2010.  By comparison, 15.3% of establishments with employees at the provincial level are involved in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.  The number of companies in the Capital Region’s largest industry fell by 3.0% over the past five years, compared to a 2.2% decline in the same industry at the provincial level. The same industry also has the largest small business share: 98.4% of all businesses in this sector have fewer than 50 employees.

Over the past five years, the Health Care and Social Assistance industry experienced the highest growth in the number of businesses, up 17.9% between 2005 and 2010.  Other industries with strong growth over the past five years include Mining and Oil and Gas Extraction (up 16.1%) and Utilities and Construction (up 9.7%), which is dominated by the construction sector.  The Agriculture and Forestry sector saw a 16.5% decline in the number of establishments over the same period as a result of farm consolidation.

The Capital Region accounted for 38% of the number of establishments in Alberta’s Health Care and Social Assistance industry and also in the Manufacturing industry, and had a 42% share for the Public Administration sector.

Date Updated:
RDP-2334