Tracking Progress on SDG 8

This briefing note by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) tracks progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8)—focused on inclusive economic growth and decent work—within Canadian cities. Using five indicators derived from Statistics Canada data, the document analyzes trends in GDP per capita, GDP per employed person, median income, unemployment rates, and youth unemployment from the 1990s through 2016.

• GDP per capita has increased steadily across all Canadian cities since 2005. Regarding labour productivity, GDP per employed person in Canada rose by 26.5 per cent between 2005 and 2013, with Saskatoon and Edmonton experiencing the largest increases, both exceeding 50 per cent. While most cities rebounded after a slight drop in 2008-2009, Ottawa had not fully recuperated by the time of reporting, though its GDP remained above the Canadian average of CAD 100,458.03.
• Median annual incomes increased in all Canadian cities between 1992 and 2015, with the highest growth rates in Quebec City (65 per cent) and Edmonton (54 per cent). A significant gender pay gap persists; although women's median wages grew by 30 per cent (from CAD 21,000 in 1992 to CAD 27,300 in 2015) compared to a 7.5 per cent increase for men (CAD 37,200 to CAD 40,000), women's median income in 2015 was only 68 per cent of men's. The largest gaps were found in Edmonton (63 per cent) and Calgary (61 per cent), while the smallest were in Montreal (79 per cent) and Vancouver (77 per cent).
• Unemployment trends varied by region between 2002 and 2016. The Canadian average decreased from 7.7 per cent to 7.0 per cent. Cities in British Columbia saw significant decreases, such as Vancouver (7.9 per cent to 5.4 per cent) and Victoria (7 per cent to 5.2 per cent). Conversely, unemployment increased in Prairie cities including Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Calgary, with Calgary reaching the highest documented rate on the IISD portal at 9.4 per cent in 2016. Quebec City recorded the lowest rate, falling to 4.6 per cent in 2015.
• Youth unemployment in Canada peaked at 15.4 per cent in 2009 and rose from 12.9 per cent in 2001 to 13.2 per cent in 2016. While seven cities (Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, and Halifax) saw decreases since 2009, only five (Victoria, Saskatoon, Regina, Quebec City, and Halifax) reduced youth unemployment relative to 2001 levels. In 2015, the highest youth unemployment rates were in Ottawa (15.4 per cent) and Toronto (15.3 per cent).

APA

Temmer, J., & Wiebe, K. (2018). Tracking Progress on SDG 8. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tracking-sdgs-canadian-cities-sdg-8.pdf

Chicago

Temmer, Jennifer, and Kyle Wiebe. Tracking Progress on SDG 8. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2018. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tracking-sdgs-canadian-cities-sdg-8.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Temmer |first1=Jennifer |last2=Wiebe |first2=Kyle |title=Tracking Progress on SDG 8 |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2018 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tracking-sdgs-canadian-cities-sdg-8.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{temmer2018tracking, author = {Temmer, Jennifer and Wiebe, Kyle}, title = {{Tracking Progress on SDG 8}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2018}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tracking-sdgs-canadian-cities-sdg-8.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }