Companies spend less on research and development; Ontario, Quebec lead: StatsCan

OTTAWA– Businesses performing industrial research and development anticipated spending $14.8 billion in 2010.

That’s a 6.2 per cent drop from what they spent in 2008 and 2.6 per cent below their 2009 projections.

Statistics Canada reports companies spent $15.8 billion on industrial R&D in 2008, down 5.1 per cent, or $852 million, from 2007.

In 2010, the agency says 43 per cent of industrial R&D spending was performed in five industries:

• Scientific research> and development services ($1.6 billion),
• Communications equipment industry ($1.3 billion),
• Wholesale trade ($1.2 billion),
• Computer system design and related services industry ($1.1 billion),
• Information and cultural industries ($1.1 billion).

Spending in 2008 in Ontario amounted to $7.6 billion, or 48 per cent of the industrial R&D total, while businesses in Quebec spent $4.6 billion, or 29 per cent of the total.

StatsCan reports R&D employed about 158,926 full-time equivalent positions in 2008, 15 per cent more than five years earlier.

© 2010 The Canadian Press