Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS)

(NAICS 7111-7115; 7121; 7131-7139)

This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in operating facilities or providing services to meet the cultural, entertainment and recreational interests of their patrons, including live performances and events or exhibits intended for public viewing. It is composed of three segments: performing arts, spectator sports and related services (live presentations involving actors, singers, dancers, musicians, writers, athletes, and their respective agents, managers and technicians); heritage institutions (museums, historic sites, zoos, botanic gardens, nature parks); and amusement, gambling and recreation industries (such as golf courses, skiing facilities, marinas, recreational, sports and fitness centres, bowling centres, amusement parks, arcades, casinos, etc.). Amusement, gambling and recreation services are the largest segment, accounting for 55% of production and 63% of employment in 2023. The other two segments accounted for the remaining share of production (i.e. 45%; breakdown is not available for GDP), with performing arts, spectator sports and related industries accounting for 29% of employment, compared to 9% for heritage institutions. Overall, the industry employed 459,300 workers in 2023, mostly concentrated in Ontario (38%), Quebec (23%), British Columbia (16%) and Alberta (12%). The workforce is evenly split between men and women and is characterized by a large proportion of part-time workers (44%). The performing arts and spectator sports segment is also characterized by a high concentration of self-employed (21%).

Given the wide variety of activities, key occupations (5-digit NOC) include a mix of:

• Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness (54100)
• Operators and attendants in amusement, recreation and sport (65211)
• Authors and writers (51111)
• Musicians and singers (51122)
• Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations (11202)
• Actors, comedians and circus performers (53121)
• Painters, sculptors and other visual artists (53122)
• Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers (85121)
• Registrars, restorers, interpreters and other occupations related to museum and art galleries (53100)
• Casino workers (64321)
• Coaches (53201)
• Sports officials and referees (53202)
• Artisans and craftspersons (53124)
• Recreation, sports and fitness program and service directors (50012)
• Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations (51120)
• Facility operation and maintenance managers (70012)
• Conference and event planners (12103)
• Recreation, sports and fitness policy researchers, consultants and program officers (41406)
• Other technical and co-ordinating occ. in motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts (52119)
• Accommodation, travel, tourism and related services supervisors (62022)
• Editors (51110)
• Conservators and curators (51101)
• Athletes (53200)
• Other performers (55109)
• Conductors, composers and arrangers (51121)
• Library, archive, museum and art gallery managers (50010)
• Dancers (53120)
• Audio and video recording technicians (52113)
• Theatre, fashion, exhibit and other creative designers (53123)
• Outdoor sport and recreational guides (64322)
• Motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and performing arts assistants and operators (53111)
• Tour and travel guides (64320)

Projections over the 2024-2033 period

Real GDP is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 2.3%. In the short-term, expected decline in interest rate will stimulate corporate profits and the share of disposable income dedicated to discretionary spending will rise. In the medium-to-long-erm, the industry should benefit from massive retirements of baby-boomers from the labour market, as this large and relatively well-off demographic group will have more time to spend on leisure activities. Tourism activity should continue to benefit from a favourable currency situation, strong labour markets in Canada and the United States, and the fact that Canada will be co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup (with the United States and Mexico). Moreover, demand for health and fitness clubs will continue to increase as a result of rising health consciousness and the diversification of wellness services. Canada’s aging population will also lead to an increase in demand for more lucrative and adapted fitness services, further bolstering output in the industry.

Productivity is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 0.9%. The sector will continue to remain labour intensive, but some productivity gains are expected. With arts and culture organizations being non-profits, the industry depends on volunteers to complement paid staff, and this is an important consideration when it comes to future employment and productivity trends. As the baby-boom generation enters retirement, this demographic group will have extra leisure time, not just for consuming the output of the industry, but also for contributing to it as volunteers, allowing the industry to increase production without necessarily hiring additional paid workers. The expected renovation and upgrading of many cultural and recreational facilities should help to improve the quality of service, increase attendance and, ultimately, raise output in the industry. The rapid development of technological innovations in the area of virtual entertainment is an additional factor expected to increase productivity over the projection period.

Employment is projected to increase by 1.4% annually. Despite the expected developments mentioned in the previous section, the industry will remain highly labour intensive and output growth will continue to rely heavily on hiring. With a healthy outlook for real GDP, employment is expected to grow at a steady pace over the projection period.

Challenges and Opportunities

A potentially important challenge to the sector is the impact of climate change. Rising global temperatures and more common extreme weather events has the potential to negatively impact a number of activities, like amusements parks, golf courses, ski, and other recreational activities are held outdoors. As extreme weather events become more common and winter seasons shorten, growth in arts, entertainment and recreation could slow. Online fitness resources boomed during the pandemic, offering convenient, often lower cost, fitness services and advice to the public. More people are opting to work out for free from home and that trend is expected to continue in the future. Although gyms have tried to adapt to offering their own online fitness services, the rising popularity of free guided workouts on YouTube and mobile apps poses a risk to gyms’ performance.

Real GDP , Employment and Productivity Growth rate (2024-2033)

Sources: ESDC 2024 COPS projections.