Business Research & Analysis

The Latest

Monthly Business Barometer®

Our monthly survey tracks small business confidence, expectations and operating conditions in Canada. Results are shared in a national report and regional and industrial summaries.

Monthly research surveys

Every month, CFIB members answer Your Voice, a survey covering a wide range of current topics, including COVID-19 impacts. Takeaways are presented in a few key charts.

See below for more survey results.

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Other CFIB research

CFIB regularly conducts special surveys and releases research results focused on important topics for Canadian entrepreneurs, including COVID-19, taxes, red tape and labour.

See below for more research and analysis.

READ LATEST RESEARCH

Previous results and other analysis

Monthly Business Barometer®

Monthly research surveys

Other CFIB research

Our research explores the commercial, political and social issues that affect our members. Here’s the complete list of content we have released in recent years.

2022

2022-05 – Near the Breaking Point: Mental Health in Small Business (report – Canada)
2022-03 – Les PME québécoises et l’inflation, entre adaptation et gestion des répercussions économiques, French only (research snapshot – Quebec)
2022-03 – Two-years of COVID-19 for Canada's Small Businesses (research snapshot – Canada)
2022-03 – Small businesses and their supply chain issues: Winter 2022 outlook (infographic – Canada)
2022-03 – Small business sentiments going into 2022 (infographic – Canada)
2022-02 – 2022 Provincial Red Tape Report Card (report – Canada)
2022-02 – Regulatory Costs in Canada and the United States: A Small Business Perspective (Report – Canada & the United States)

2021

2021-12 – Labour shortages are back with a vengeance (report – Canada)
2021-11 – Small Business Saturday – Key Results 2021 (survey results – Canada)
2021-11 – BC Employer Paid Sick Leave (Results from May-November 2021)
2021-10 – FLASH SURVEY – Changes to federal COVID relief programs (Results from October 26-27, 2021)
2021-08 – Small Business Debt: The COVID-19 Impact (Second Assessment – August 2021) (report – Canada)
2021-08 – Total Time Closed since the Start of the Pandemic, by sector (infographic – Canada)
2021-08 – Total Time Closed since the Start of the Pandemic, by province ( infographic – all provinces)
2021-07 – The long road to recovery for small business (infographic)
2021-06 – The Logistics Impact of COVID-19 on Small Businesses (research snapshot – Canada)
2021-05 – The small business vision of 5G connectivity in Canada (report – Canada)
2021-05 – Priorités des PME du Québec en matière de développement économique régional, French only (report – Quebec)
2021-05 – Main Provincial Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Programs (table – Canada)
2021-04 – Focusing on Fairness: Small Business Perspective on Reforming the EI System (report – Canada)
2021-04 – Pénurie de main-d’œuvre : défi de l’heure pour les petites et moyennes entreprises au Québec, French only (report – Quebec)
2021-04 – Small business owners' state of mind during COVID-19 (infographic)
2021-03 – Small Business Retirement Plans (infographic)
2021-03 – Small Businesses are Prioritizing Digital in 2021 (research backgrounder – Canada)
2021-03 – One Year of COVID-19: Seven Ways the World Has Changed for Small Business (report – Canada)
2021-02 – Small Business Debt and Profitability: The COVID-19 Impact (report – Canada)
2021-02 – Cyberfraud in small business (report – Canada)
2021-01 – 2021 Red Tape Report Card (report – Canada)
2021-01 – 2021: Canada's Red Tape Report (report – Canada)
2021-01 – Canadian businesses and jobs at risk due to COVID-19 (report – Canada)

2020

2020-11 – Transformation of Canada’s Small Businesses Series Part #3: Small Businesses’ Experience with eCommerce during the Pandemic (research backgrounder – Canada)
2020-10 – Transformation of Canada’s Small Businesses Series Part #2: Conscious Consumerism: Choosing to Shop Small during the Pandemic (research backgrounder – Canada)
2020-09 – Transformation of Canada’s Small Businesses Series Part #1: Connecting with Customers During the Pandemic (report – Canada)
2020-09 – Are Canadian small businesses headed for an L-shaped recovery? (research snapshot – Canada)
2020-09 – Help Wanted: Private sector job vacancies, Q2 2020 (research snapshot – Canada)
2020-07 – How many Canadian businesses are at risk of permanently closing due to COVID-19? (research snapshot – Canada)
2020-06 – Small Business and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (research snapshot – Canada)
2020-03 – Banking Service 2020 Report Card (report – Canada)
2020-02 – Help Wanted: Private sector job vacancies, Q4 2019 (research snapshot - Canada)
2020-02 – Workers without borders: Addressing SME labour shortages through immigration (report – Canada)
2020-01 – 2020 Red Tape Report Card (report – Canada)
2020-01 – 2020 CRA Report Card (report – Canada)

2019

2019-12 – Small Business Bank Market Share (research snapshot – Canada)
2019-12 – SME Profile: A look at small business and the self-employed in Canada (research snapshot – Canada)
2019-11 – 2019 National Retail Sector Survey (survey results – Canada)
2019-11 – Help Wanted: Private sector job vacancies, Q3 2019 (research snapshot – Canada)
2019-11 – Canadians’ perspectives on small businesses (survey results – Canada)
2019-10 – Small business in Canada: Motivating factors and public perception (survey results – Canada)
2019-10 – One Year In: Cannabis in the Workplace Survey (survey results – Canada)
2019-08 – Help Wanted: Private sector job vacancies, Q2 2019 (research snapshot – Canada)
2019-08 – Taxing Payroll: A Barrier to Business Growth and Competitiveness (report – Canada)
2019-07 – Select Internal Trade Indicators (table – Canada)
2019-06 – Federal Small Business Platform (report – Canada)
2019-06 – Help Wanted: Private sector job vacancies, Q1 2019 (research snapshot – Canada)
2019-05 – Employment at a Glance: 2000-2018 (research snapshot – Canada)
2019-04 – Canada's top entrepreneurial communities in 2018 (report – Canada)
2019-02 – Help Wanted: Private sector job vacancies, Q4 2018 (research snapshot – Canada)
2019-02 – The federal carbon pricing backstop (research snapshot – Canada)
2019-01 – 2019 Red tape report card (report – Canada)
2019-01 – Service Canada Call Centre Report Card (report – Canada)

2018

2018-11 – Getting the Transition Right (report – Canada)
2018-10 – BC Businesses Over-Taxed Due to Antiquated Assessment System (research snapshot – British Columbia)
2018-10 – Hire Education: Connecting youth and small businesses for the jobs of today (report – Canada)
2018-09 – Property Tax Fairness for BC Small Business (report – British Columbia)
2018-09 – British Columbia Municipal Spending Watch: 11th Edition (report – British Columbia)
2018-05 – Paving a Smoother Road: Helping small businesses survive infrastructure work (report – Canada)
2018-04 – Canada's Fiscal Fitness 2018 (research snapshot – Canada)
2018-04 – Proposed Employer Health Tax Hurts the Health of BC’s Businesses (report – British Columbia)
2018-03 – Help Wanted: Private sector job vacancies, Q4 2017 (research snapshot – Canada)
2018-02 – Forced Savings: The hidden costs of expanding public pensions (report – Canada)

About CFIB Research & Economic Analysis

Our research is based on members’ views, which are fully collected in-house through our various member surveys.

CFIB represents over 95,000 member businesses across Canada. Our membership reflects a diverse group of successful businesses of all sizes, in a wide range of industries, and in all regions of the country. All members are able to participate in our surveys and we operate using a one-member one-vote system.

We release exclusive research, often survey-based but also relying on a wide range of other methodologies, striving to produce clear, credible and compelling data and analysis that can support the success of independent business in Canada.

The CFIB research team is headed by Simon Gaudreault, Vice President, National Research.