Changes in Employment Survey (CIES) - ARCHIVED

The primary objective of the Changes in Employment Survey (CIES) is to evaluate the impact of Bill C-12 on the Employment Insurance legislation and the degree to which program objectives have been achieved. Bill C-12 was introduced into legislation in part in July 1996, with the remainder coming into effect in January 1997. The legislation was designed to better reward work effort, to ensure adequate benefits by targeting those most in need, to encourage job creation, and to improve the perception of fairness. Specific aspects of these objectives were addressed in the survey. In addition, the survey attempts to get a measure of the aggregate impact of the legislation.

Secondary objectives of the survey include the continuation of the information collected in the 1993 and 1995 Canadian Out-of-Employment Panel Surveys. This includes collection of background demographics on the individual and the household, as well as information on job search activities and outcomes, assets and debts, expenditures, and utilization of Employment Insurance and Social Assistance.

Microdata files for the Changes in Employment Survey (CIES) are now available for five reference periods.
They are: Cohorts 1 and 2: January 1995 to September 1996; Cohorts 3 and 4: July 1995 to February 1997; Cohorts 5 and 6: January 1996 to September 1997; Cohorts 7 and 8: July 1996 to February 1998; and Cohorts 9 and 10: January 1997 to September 1998.