A new Statistics Canada study says Canadian businesses invested 20 percent less per employee between 2006 and 2021.
That means for every worker, businesses invested $628.80 less in their companies in 2021 than they did in 2006.
The report says the decline was more significant in large and medium-sized companies, and foreign-controlled businesses.
The slowdown in investment is attributed in part to lower competition and a shift toward intangible assets, such as brand equity and patents.
The author notes national statistical agencies do not record many of these assets as investments.
The report attributes almost one-third of the drop in investment to declining entry rates, or the number of new companies starting up by industry,
