You should identify the industry that your target company operates in by using a standard industry classification code such as NAICS.
What is NAICS?
- NAICS is the acronym for the North American Industry Classification System.
- It was developed jointly by Canada, the US, and Mexico to describe economic activity and currently divides the economy into:
- 20 sectors (2-digit codes)
- 102 subsectors (3-digit codes)
- 323 industry groups (4-digit codes)
- 711 industries (5-digit codes)
- 922 Canadian industries (6-digit coges).
- NAICS codes are comparable across Canada, the US, and Mexico at the 5 digit code level. Note: unique national industries will have a 6 digit code.
2012 NAICS Canada Manual:
You should first look up the NAICS Canada code, which is used mainly in Statistics Canada databases and publications.
- You can browse NAICS by sector or use the keyword search to identify relevant industries.
- Earlier editions of the NAICS manual, as well as other industry classification schemes such as SIC or ISIC, can be viewed on the Statistics Canada website.
- A "Step-by-Step" demo of how to look up a NAICS code is available.
2012 NAICS US Manual:
As some Business Library Databases use the US version of the NAICS manual, it is also helpful to be able to cross-reference your NAICS code there, as the numbers can be slightly different. In addition, as the US economy is vastly larger than the Canadian, they have a more comprehensive classification system.
