Workplace Count - Region of Waterloo

Economic Development

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What is the Workplace Count?

Throughout May to August 2011, the Region of Waterloo, in collaboration with local municipalities, undertook the Workplace Count, a survey of places of employment in Waterloo Region. The information provided by businesses will help us better plan for future business growth in Waterloo Region, and meet on-going needs for services and infrastructure. Home-based businesses and farms were not visited at this time.

The information compiled from the Workplace Count will help the Region and your local municipality to:

Create a complete picture of the types of businesses in the region and where these jobs are located;
Support business' needs when planning for services, infrastructure and land by planning for adequate land, sufficient services and complementary businesses;
Understand the space requirements of different types of businesses;
Analyze local business sectors; and
Compare our region with others in Ontario and beyond.

Data is confidential and will be grouped together to preserve the confidentiality of individual businesses and will not be published or released to any third party except with the express permission of the business. Where permission is granted, specific information may be published in the Canada's Technology Triangle and/or local municipal business directories.

This comprehensive count of workplaces will provide a more complete picture of business in Waterloo Region, which is currently unavailable from any other source. Similar surveys have been undertaken in other municipalities, such as Halton, Mississauga, Toronto and York.

What to Expect

A Regional employee from the Workplace Count team will arrive at a business and take about five minutes to ask for some key pieces of information (view photos of our field staff). The information will be digitally recorded on the spot. While this in-person visit is the preferred method of information collection, businesses can also complete and mail a paper copy.

Types of information collected will include:

Number of full-time, part-time and seasonal employees;
Type of employment activity, such as auto repair, high tech manufacturing, or restaurant;
Square footage of space used for business; and
Contact information.

Completing the Questionnaire

If you didn't have time to complete the questionnaire with one of our field staff, please download the questionnaire and return it to the Region of Waterloo by one of the following methods or complete the questionnaire online.

Regular mail: