Establishments with employees

In 2010, the Calgary Region had 51,973 establishments with employees, making up 35.5% of all establishments with employees in Alberta. Of these establishments, 94.9% or 49,347 were small companies with between 1 and 49 employees. Micro-businesses with fewer than five employees have a 59.8% share of the region’s total number of companies and large companies with 50 or more employees have a 5.1% share, compared to the 4.4% Alberta average.

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

Between 2005 and 2010, there was an increase of 2.1% (or 1,087) in the total number of businesses in the Calgary Region and a 3.4% increase (or 1,640 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 also experienced an increase of 3.4% over the same period.

In the Calgary Region, 74.5% of companies with employees were involved in Service Industries as of 2010.  Total growth in the number of service industries was 1.9% over the past five years, while total growth in the goods industries was higher at 3.1% over the same period. 

The largest industry in the region, comprising 22% of business establishments with employees, was Professional, Scientific and Technical Services in 2010.  By comparison, only 15.3% of establishments with employees at the provincial level are involved in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.   The Calgary region accounts for just over one-half of the total number of companies in Alberta in this sector.  The number of companies in Calgary’s largest industry fell by 2.6% 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: 98.2% of all businesses in this sector have fewer than 50 employees.

The shift in energy production from conventional oil and gas to unconventional energy sources creates new opportunities in the development of innovative technologies to lower costs and reduce the environmental footprint associated with the oil sands and other unconventional energy.  As the Calgary Region abounds with companies that provide professional, scientific and technical services to the energy sector, the future of this sector looks bright.

Over the past five years, the Utilities and Construction industry, which is dominated by the construction sector, experienced the highest growth in the number of businesses, up 11.7% between 2005 and 2010.  However, the recession did lead to a decline for this industry (and many other sectors) between 2009 and 2010.  Other industries with strong growth over the past five years include Health Care and Social Assistance (up 10.7%) and Transportation and Warehousing (up 8.3%).  The oil and gas sector saw a 9.8% decline in the number of establishments over the same period, most of this decline occurred between 2009 and 2010.

Date Updated:
RDP-2333