In 2020, environmental and clean technology (ECT) activity generated 322,972 employee jobs in the Canadian economy, down 5% from the previous year, reflecting the economic difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ECT sector represented almost 2% of all jobs in Canada in 2020.
By adding the 22,086 self-employed jobs to the employee jobs, the Canadian ECT sector reached a total of 345,058 jobs in 2020. For the following analysis, the term "jobs" is used to refer to employee jobs.
Two broad categories of jobs are associated with the production and delivery of ECT products: those associated with environmental goods and services and those related to the provision of clean technology goods and services.
The environmental products subsector represented almost 4 out of 10 jobs (or 119,831 jobs) in the ECT sector. This subsector includes the production of clean electricity, biofuels and primary goods, as well as the delivery of waste management and remediation services.
The remaining jobs (63% of the sector, or 203,141 jobs in 2020) were found in the clean technology products subsector, which includes the production of manufactured goods (e.g., solar panels, efficient turbines, electric batteries), as well as the delivery of professional, scientific and technical services; construction services; and support services.
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