Statistics Canada is hiring 32000 workers across Canada, i.e., Statistics Canada will conduct the next Census of Population in May 2026 and is hiring about 32,000 workers across the country to help collect data.
Work permit holders are eligible to apply for many supervisory and non-supervisory roles.
Hiring for census-related roles will take place between March and July 2026. Some of these jobs may also count toward Canadian Experience Class (CEC) work requirements.
This article will cover
- Who can apply for a 2026 census position
- Which roles are available
- How experience gained can count toward CEC work requirements.
So, without further ado, let us begin!
Who Can Apply For A Census Job?
To be considered for a census position, individuals must meet the following conditions:
- Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or have a valid work permit
- Live in Canada and have a Canadian home address
- Be at least the age of majority in their province or territory
For Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, the age of majority is 18 years. In all other provinces and territories, it is 19 years.
Eligible individuals can complete and submit an online application form, which takes less than 10 minutes. Applicants must also provide references for two people who have supervised their work or are familiar with their job performance.
The deadline to apply is July 31, 2026.
After the initial review and reference checks, Statistics Canada will hold interviews for supervisory roles. Non-supervisory roles do not require interviews. All selected candidates will also go through a security screening.
Only applicants who are needed in their local area will be contacted.
What Positions Are Available?
Statistics Canada is mainly hiring for two types of roles: enumerators and crew leaders. The details of each role are below:
Enumerator ($25.87/hour):
Primary duties include collecting census information through door-to-door visits.
Applicants for enumerator roles must be available to work at least 20 hours per week, depending on workload. Most work will take place in the evenings and on weekends.
The employment period for enumerators runs from May to July 2026.
Crew Leader ($31.32/hour):
Primary duties include managing an assistant and a team of enumerators. Crew leaders coordinate and oversee questionnaire collection activities in a specific area.
Crew leaders must be available to work 40 hours per week, including weekdays, evenings, and weekends.
The employment period for crew leaders runs from March to July 2026.
For both roles, selected workers may claim approved expenses such as mileage and parking.
All selected candidates must attend mandatory training, which is paid on an hourly basis.
Statistics Canada has noted that recruitment will begin earlier in some areas. Early census data collection will start in February 2026 in certain northern and remote communities.
Additional hiring may take place for crew leader assistant, field operations supervisor assistant, and collection support unit operator roles. However, most available jobs will be for enumerators and crew leaders.
Can This Work Count Toward CEC Requirements?
For work experience to count under Express Entry’s Canadian Experience Class (CEC), it must:
- Be in a TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupation
- Be paid work
- Be gained while working in Canada under valid temporary resident status, such as a work permit
Applicants must have at least 1,560 hours (one year) of skilled work experience in the three years before applying for permanent residence. This experience can be gained through one or more jobs and under more than one National Occupational Classification (NOC) code. Moreover, applicants can count full-time or part-time work, but they cannot count more than 30 hours per week, even if they work more.
Enumerators will not be able to count their work toward CEC requirements. This role falls under TEER 4 in Canada’s NOC system, specifically NOC 14110 (Survey interviewers and statistical clerks), which is not considered skilled work for CEC purposes.
Crew leaders, however, may be able to count their work experience. This role falls under NOC 12113 (Census Crew Leader in Canada), which is a skilled occupation.
Because census jobs are short-term, the work alone will not meet the full one-year requirement. However, it can help add hours to existing qualifying Canadian work experience.
For example, if a crew leader works from March 1 to July 31, 2026, at least 30 hours per week, this could count for 660 hours toward the 1,560-hour CEC requirement.
Crew leaders should note that to claim work experience under NOC 12113, they must be able to show they performed most of the main duties listed in the NOC job description, including the duties in the lead statement.
At this time, Statistics Canada has not publicly shared the full list of duties for census crew leaders, only the main responsibilities. Because of this, it is not yet clear whether all crew leaders will meet the “most main duties” requirement needed to count the work for CEC.
The other roles do not fall under skilled work categories and are unlikely to count toward CEC requirements.
Note: Canada’s NOC system assigns each occupation a TEER level from 0 to 5. TEER 0 represents the highest-skilled roles, and TEER 5 represents the lowest-skilled roles.
What Is The Canadian Census?
Statistics Canada conducts the Canadian census every five years across the country.
Its purpose is to provide a detailed picture of Canada’s population by collecting information about people, families, and homes across the country.
The data collected through the census helps guide government policies and programs in areas such as education and childcare, health care services, public transportation, housing, and community planning.
The law requires everyone to take part in the census. All Canadian households must complete:
- A short-form questionnaire, which includes questions about age, sex and gender, language, marital status, and household composition
- A long-form questionnaire, which includes questions about place of birth, ethnic or cultural background, religion, mobility, education, work, commuting, and housing
This large hiring effort offers a short-term job opportunity for many people across Canada, including work permit holders. For some, especially those who qualify as crew leaders, the experience may also help build skilled Canadian work experience that can support future permanent residence applications.
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