Employment and unemployment

Description:

This publication provides the most current monthly labour market statistics. Each month, this publication contains a brief commentary highlighting recent developments in the Canadian labour market. It also includes a series of charts and tables on a variety of labour force characteristics, such as employment and unemployment for Canada, the provinces, metropolitan areas and economic regions.

Description:

The aging of the Canadian population is a well recognized phenomenon and has received considerable policy research attention, particularly in the health and public pension domains. Very little work has been focused on the impacts of aging at the organizational level. Foot and Venne studied the advancement of the baby boom through traditional organizational hierarchies, noting its impacts on human resource policies that encourage horizontal career development. Saba et al looked more particularly at the management of older professionals in the Quebec public service, finding that employee recognition was an important human resource strategy for motivating this group. We extend these studies further along the aging ladder -- to the point where retirement and replacement become the major concerns.

Looking at the management hierarchy within Statistics Canada, we use a microsimulation model first to estimate the expected level of retirements over the next 10 years. We then detail the adjustments to promotion and hiring rates required to replace outgoing managers. We then examine simulated microdata to estimate the experience effects of increasing turnover. Finally, we use the demographic features of the model to examine whether the increasing turnover is likely to increase the representation of women and visible minorities among Statistics Canada managers.

Given the assumptions outlined in the paper, we find that increasing turnover rates in the next 10 years will generally not reduce management experience to below recently observed levels. We also find that given equal promotion rates for men and women, the representation rate of women among Statistics Canada managers is likely to increase rapidly in coming years. On the other hand, visible minority representation among managers will likely stall for several years, even with proactive recruitment and advancement policies.

Description:

Like most other surveys, non-response often occurs in the Current Employment Survey conducted monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In a given month, imputation using reported data from previous months generally provides more efficient survey estimators than ignoring non-respondents and adjusting survey weights. However, imputation also has an effect on variance estimation: treating imputed values as reported data and applying a standard variance estimation method lead to negatively biased variance estimators. In this article, we propose some variance estimators using the Grouped Balanced Half Sample method and re-imputation to take imputation into account. Some simulation results for the finite sample performance of the imputed survey estimators and their variance estimators are presented.

Description:

This paper explores the relationship between employers' computer technology investments and employees' training and education, with emphasis on the education of new hires.

Description:

The 2001 Community Profiles provide 2001 Census data for close to 6,000 communities, as well as for large and smaller metropolitan areas. These profiles contain free information for all Canadian communities (cities, towns, villages, Indian reserves and settlements, etc.), for counties or their equivalents and for metropolitan areas, as well as data for 2003 health regions. Additional information on data quality, definitions, data quality indexes, special notes and other supporting text is available.

Description:

This article looks at the labour market experiences of recent culture graduates, with a focus on comparing university graduates with their community college and collège d'enseignement général et professionel (CEGEP) counterparts.

Description:

This paper examines small producers in the Canadian and U.S. manufacturing sectors in terms of output and employment from the early 1970s to the late 1990s.

Description:

Current trends in marriage and fertility patterns suggest that young Canadian women are delaying family formation and concentrating on developing their careers. Using data from the 1998 Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics, this study provides Canadian evidence on the effect of marital status and parenthood status on the wage rates of Canadian women. As well, this paper attempts to determine whether decisions regarding the timing of family formation influence the wages of women and whether these decisions have a permanent or temporary impact on earnings. The main results of the paper are as follows.

After controlling for differences in work history, labour force qualifications and selected job characteristics, the cross sectional analysis suggests that there is no association between marital status and wages while the evidence on the relationship between wages and motherhood is mixed.

When controls for years with children were included, there is a positive association of motherhood with wages that persists in the early years of motherhood but declines as the number of years with children lengthens. These results support the specialization, selection, differential treatment by employers and the work effort explanations for differences in the wages of mothers relative to other women. There is no such finding for married women and the duration of marriage.

It is a well-documented fact that the acquisition of job-related skills and significant wage growth is concentrated at the start of workers' careers - which generally coincides with decisions regarding marriage and children. If this is the case, then the timing of marriage and children may be considered proxies for omitted, unobserved characteristics, related to human capital skills, differentiated work history or labour force attachment. Conforming to theoretical expectations when the timing of children is taken into account, women that postpone having children earn at least 6.0% more than women who have children early. There is no significant association between the timing of marriage and wages.

The observed relationship between women's wages and their decision to delay having children tends to persist after the birth of their first child but tends to decline over time. Thus, augmented family responsibilities will tend to reduce any initial wage differentials based on delays of assuming these responsibilities.

Description:

This analysis bulletin, the twenty-fourth profiling trends in rural Canada, uses survey data to reveal the seasonal pattern of employment in rural Canada from 1996 to 2000. It is published in collaboration with the Rural Secretariat of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. A higher seasonal variation in employment exists in rural areas compared with urban areas, and is spread throughout virtually all industrial sectors. The lower industrial productivity and reduced wages that likely result present a particular challenge for developing and revitalizing rural areas. This bulleting is useful for researchers and decision-makers who need information on employment seasonality in rural Canada to create appropriate economic strategies.

Description:

This report uses census data from 1996 and 1991 to provide a quantitative profile of persons working in justice-related professions in Canada. The profile contains a general description of such characteristics as age, average age, highest level of schooling, average employment income and employment status. Furthermore, it provides detailed information on certain groups for which national data were available. These groups include, women and men, Aboriginal people, visible minorities and immigrants.

The justice sectors in this report include: police personnel (including : commissioned police officers and police officers), court personnel (including judges, court officers, justices of the peace, court recorders, medical transcriptionists, sheriffs, bailiffs and court clerks), legal personnel (including, lawyers, Quebec notaries, paralegal and related occupations and legal secretaries), probation and parole officers, correctional officers, and other protective service personnel (including: security guards and related occupations, and other protective service occupations).

Description: Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment), unemployment rate, participation rate and employment rate by age group and sex. Data are presented for 12 months earlier, previous month and current month, as well as year-over-year and month-to-month level change and percentage change. Data are also available for the standard error of the estimate, the standard error of the month-to-month change and the standard error of the year-over-year change.

Description: Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment), unemployment rate, participation rate and employment rate by province, sex and age group. Data are presented for 12 months earlier, previous month and current month, as well as year-over-year and month-to-month level change and percentage change. Data are also available for the standard error of the estimate, the standard error of the month-to-month change and the standard error of the year-over-year change.

Description: Number of employees by class of worker and sex, last 5 months. Data are also available for the standard error of the estimate, the standard error of the month-to-month change and the standard error of the year-over-year change.

Description: Number of employees by class of worker and sex. Data are presented for 12 months earlier, previous month and current month, as well as year-over-year and month-to-month level change and percentage change. Data are also available for the standard error of the estimate, the standard error of the month-to-month change and the standard error of the year-over-year change.

Description:

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment) and unemployment rate by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), last 5 months. Data are also available for the standard error of the estimate, the standard error of the month-to-month change and the standard error of the year-over-year change.

Description:

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment) and unemployment rate by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Data are presented for 12 months earlier, previous month and current month, as well as year-over-year and month-to-month level change and percentage change. Data are also available for the standard error of the estimate, the standard error of the month-to-month change and the standard error of the year-over-year change.

Description: Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment) and not in the labour force, unemployment rate, participation rate and employment rate by territory, sex and age group, last 5 months. Data are also available for the standard error of the estimate, the standard error of the month-to-month change and the standard error of the year-over-year change.

Description: Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment), unemployment rate, participation rate and employment rate by territory, sex and age group. Data are presented for 12 months earlier, previous month and current month, as well as year-over-year and month-to-month level change and percentage change. Data are also available for the standard error of the estimate, the standard error of the month-to-month change and the standard error of the year-over-year change.

Description: Number of employees by National Occupational Classification (NOC), last 5 months. Data are also available for the standard error of the estimate, the standard error of the month-to-month change and the standard error of the year-over-year change.

Description: Number of employees by National Occupational Classification (NOC). Data are presented for 12 months earlier, previous month and current month, as well as year-over-year and month-to-month level change and percentage change. Data are also available for the standard error of the estimate, the standard error of the month-to-month change and the standard error of the year-over-year change.

Description:

This article examines some of the many factors that influence the well-being of Canada's culture sector and its workforce: the country's general economic conditions; government programs and policies; and consumer demand, of both domestic and imported culture goods and services.

The forces of economic, social, political and technological change are radically transforming the world of culture and its labour force. The 1980s saw a rapid expansion of the culture workforce to meet increased demand for culture goods and services. This period of growth paused with the 1990/91 recession: jobs, earnings and revenues all fell off. With the end of the recession, the labour market rebounded and culture workers rode this high employment wave throughout the remainder of the decade.

Countries have become more conscious of the role that culture plays in their development, their identity and the sustenance of their value systems. In many countries culture sectors are now targets of international economic development policies. Global trade and the continued high demand in Canada for imported culture goods and services make the culture economy in this country (and, in turn, employment in the culture sector) variable and highly competitive.

Description:

While the number of census-farms and farm operators is shrinking, the number of jobs in the agriculture and agri-food industry is growing. During the 15-year period from 1981 to 1996, the industry employed 15% of Canada's workforce.

Employment in the agri-food sector has grown faster than the overall Canadian economy and this has offset the decline in employment on farms. In 1981, more people worked on farms than worked in restaurants, bars and taverns. By 1996, this trend had reversed and employment in the food and beverage services sector far outstripped the number of workers on farms.

Food processing is often promoted as part of agricultural policy (to provide a local market for Canadian farmers) and as part of rural development policy (to create jobs in rural areas). However, in 1996, fewer people were working in Canada's food processing sector than in 1981. More food was processed (there was growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) of this sector), but fewer workers were involved. Rural regions adjacent to urban areas gained a greater share of food processing employment, making these regions relatively competitive in keeping food processing workforces.

Employment in the agricultural and agri-food sectors is growing, but the nature of the work and where it is being done is changing.

Description:

This paper looks at 'non-standard,' 'contingent' and 'precarious' employment situations, which differ from the traditional model of a stable, full-time job.

Description:

This paper looks at the high-tech sector in 2002, a year after high-profile layoffs were made in response to the collapse in demand for its products and services.

Description:

This paper examines the increasing importance of high-knowledge occupations over the period 1971 to 1996. It also examines changes that have occurred for different knowledge professions, including managers, professionals and technical occupations, by industry and by geographic area.

Description:

This paper examines the emergence of the knowledge economy by studying the increasing importance of high-knowledge occupations from 1971 to 2001.

Description:

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the levels and trends in the industrial diversity of Canadian cities over the past 10 years (1992 to 2002). Diverse cities are thought to be more stable and provide better environments that lead to stronger economic growth.

Description:

This report estimates the impact of participating in adult education and training on the employment and earnings of Canadians, using the data from the 1998 Adult Education and Training Survey (AETS).

Description:

This paper looks at the surge in demand for people skilled in computer specialties after the rapid growth of the information, communication and technology (ICT) industry in the 1990s. It uses data from the 2001 Census.

Description:

The Canadian Labour Force Survey (LFS) produces monthly direct estimates of the unemployment rate at national and provincial levels. The LFS also releases unemployment estimates for subprovincial areas such as census metropolitan areas (CMAs) and census agglomerations (CAs). However, for some subprovincial areas, the direct estimates are not very reliable since the sample size in some areas is quite small. In this paper, a cross-sectional and time-series model is used to borrow strength across areas and time periods to produce model-based unemployment rate estimates for CMAs and CAs. This model is a generalization of a widely used cross-sectional model in small area estimation and includes a random walk or AR(1) model for the random time component. Monthly Employment Insurance (EI) beneficiary data at the CMA or CA level are used as auxiliary covariates in the model. A hierarchical Bayes (HB) approach is employed and the Gibbs sampler is used to generate samples from the joint posterior distribution. Rao-Blackwellized estimators are obtained for the posterior means and posterior variances of the CMA/CA-level unemployment rates. The HB method smoothes the survey estimates and leads to a substantial reduction in standard errors. Base on posterior distributions, bayesian model fitting is also investigated in this paper.

Description:

This report contains basic conceptual and data quality information intended to facilitate the use and interpretation of census industry data. It provides an overview of the industry processing cycle, including elements such as regional processing, edit and imputation, and the tabulation of error rates. Notable changes in the industrial classification structure are discussed as well as differences in the coding procedures from the previous census (1996). The report concludes with summary tables that indicate the level of data quality in the 2001 Census industry data.

Description:

The Youth in Transition Survey (YITS) is a longitudinal survey designed to provide policy-relevant information about school-work transitions and factors influencing pathways. YITS will provide vehicle for future research and analysis of major transitions in young people's lives, particularly those between education, training and work. Information obtained from, and research based on, the survey will help clarify the nature and causes of short and long-term challenges young people face in school-work transitions and support policy planning and decision making to help prevent or remedy these problems.

Objectives of the Youth in Transition Survey were developed after an extensive consultation with stakeholders with an interest in youth and school-work transitions. Content includes measurement of major transitions in young people's lives including virtually all formal educational experiences and most labour-market experiences. Factors influencing transitions are also included family background, school experiences, achievement, aspirations and expectations, and employment experiences.

The implementation plan encompasses a longitudinal survey for each of two age cohorts, to be surveyed every two years. Data from a cohort entering at age 15 will permit analysis of long-term school-work transition patterns. Data from a cohort entering at ages18-20 will provide more immediate, policy-relevant information on young adults in the labour market.

Cycle one for the cohort aged 15 will include information collected from youth, their parents, and school principals. The sample design is a school-based frame that allows the selection of schools, and then individuals within schools. This design will permit analysis of school effects, a research domain not currently addressed by other Statistics Canada surveys. Methods of data collection include a self-completed questionnaire for youth and school principals, a telephone interview with parents, and assessment of youth competency in reading, science and mathematics as using self-completed test booklets provided under the integration of YITS with the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). A pilot survey was conducted in April 1999 and the main survey took place in April-May 2000. Interviews were conducted with 30,000 students aged 15 from 1,000 schools in Canada. A telephone interview with parents of selected students took place in June 2000.

The sample design for the cohort aged 18-20 is similar to that of the Labour-Force survey. The method of data collection is computer-assisted telephone interviewing. The pilot survey was conducted in January 1999. In January-February 2000, 23, 000 youth participated in the main survey data collection.

Data from both cohorts is expected to be available in 2001. Following release of the first international report by the OECD/PISA project and the first national report, data will be publically available, permitting detailed exploration of content themes.

Description:

This paper examines a new variable which would show whether a person's job is related to his or her postsecondary education. This variable would help to explain other characteristics measured in the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID), such as wages, supervisory roles, and job stability.

Description:

The employment/population ratio is a good barometer of the state of the economy and an important though little-used labour market indicator. This article takes a look at the ratio's strengths and limitations, as well as its variation since 1946. Provincial and international comparisons are included.

Description:

This paper presents an analysis of the questions in the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) relating to supervision and management. It uses data collected in January 1993.

Description:

This paper examines the robustness of a measure of the average complete duration of unemployment in Canada to a host of assumptions used in its derivation. In contrast to the average incomplete duration of unemployment, which is a lagging cyclical indicator, this statistic is a coincident indicator of the business cycle. The impact of using a steady state as opposed to a non steady state assumption, as well as the impact of various corrections for response bias are explored. It is concluded that a non steady state estimator would be a valuable compliment to the statistics on unemployment duration that are currently released by many statistical agencies, and particularly Statistics Canada.

Description:

The Standard Occupational Classification provides a systematic classification structure to identify and categorize the entire range of occupational activity in Canada. This up-to-date classification is based upon, and easily related to, the National Occupational Classification. It consists of 10 broad occupational categories which are subdivided into major groups, minor groups and unit groups. Definitions and occupational titles are provided for each unit group. An alphabetical index of the occupational titles classified to the unit group level is also included.

Description:

This study illustrates quarterly trends in unemployment rates based on alternative measures. By all of the indicators studies there was an overall increase in unemployment during the early 1990s.

Description: The objective of this program is to provide data on employment (number of employees, wages and salaries) in the public sector, i.e. the federal, provincial, territorial and local general governments, health and social service institutions, universities, colleges, vocational and trade institutions, school boards, and government business enterprises.

Description: This survey is an establishment census survey designed to gather data on employment, payrolls and paid-hours from larger employers (companies or establishments of 20 or more employees).