Annual GDP Impact
$800M
Baseline
Learners Served Annually
40,000
Current capacity
ROI (First Year)
23%
Per SRDC research
Productivity Gain
2.5%
Provincial average
Healthcare Savings
$50M
Annual reduction
Social Returns (10-Year)
$741M
$7.41 per dollar
Economic Impact by Sector
Cumulative Returns Over Time
Year 1
$123M
Year 3
$450M
Year 5
$900M
Year 10
$2.4B
Key Insights from Research
GDP Impact: Research shows that a 1% increase in adult literacy skills can boost Canada's GDP by $50-67 billion annually. Ontario's proportional share would be approximately $25-30 billion.
Productivity Crisis: Currently, 40% of Canada's workforce lacks Level 3 literacy skills required for 96% of modern jobs, costing $32 billion annually in lost productivity.
Return on Investment: Every dollar invested in adult literacy programs returns $7.41 to society over 10 years, with workplace programs showing 23% ROI in the first year alone.
Current Gap: Flat funding over the past decade, combined with inflation, has effectively reduced program capacity by 30%, limiting Ontario's economic competitiveness.