The Business & Community Newsletter – August 2019

This analysis uses data from the 2016 Survey of Financial Security to examine financial distress indicators for Canadian families. Three financial distress indicators are examined: the proportion of Canadian families who skipped or delayed a mortgage payment, the proportion who skipped or delayed a non-mortgage payment and the proportion who borrowed money through a payday loan. This paper also examines the factors associated with financial distress among Canadians, with a particular focus on their debt level.

As part of the Education Indicators in Canada, this fact sheet sheds light on young NEETs aged 20 to 24, both at the national and provincial/territorial levels. The transition from school to work: the NEET (not in employment , education or training) indicator for 20-24-year olds in Canada explores in-depth gender-based differences, the effect of these young Canadians' highest level of education, as well as the impact of immigration and aboriginal identity. It also gives international and interprovincial comparisons. In fact, the Canadian NEET rate among 20- to 24-year-olds has been one to five percentage points lower than the average rate for OECD countries over the past 20 years.

Some highlights:

• Provincially, NEET rates ranged from 10% in Quebec and British Columbia to 17% in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2018/2019. Most provinces had rates comparable with the Canadian average of 12%. However, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories had significantly higher NEET rates than the national average, reflecting the more challenging labour markets and greater challenges in accessing post-secondary education in these regions compared with the rest of Canada.
• In Canada, in 2018/2019, women and men were represented in similar proportions among NEETs aged 20 to 24. However, among those in a NEET situation who are aged 20 to 24, women were 2.5 times more likely to be out of the labour market than unemployed, and men were twice as likely as women to be unemployed. Among young Canadians who were not in a NEET situation in 2018/2019, women were more likely to be in school than men, while men were more likely to be out of school and working.
• As has consistently been the case for the past two decades, Canadian women aged 20 to 24 had lower NEET rates (12%) than the average for women from Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries (17%) in 2017, the most recent year for which comparable data are available.

Statistics Canada has unveiled the new Consumer Price Index (CPI) Portal. By centralizing all CPI data, products, publications, tools and program information into one convenient location, the portal offers users a new one-stop shop for all things CPI-related. The portal will also announce new features and updates to the CPI.

Visit the CPI Portal and explore its interactive data visualization tools today! Check out the latest CPI snapshot to see what's currently driving price changes. Or explore key CPI indicators and compare price changes for goods and services in the CPI basket, over time and by geography.

As part of the agency's modernization efforts, the new CPI Portal makes it easier for users to find, analyse and use a wide range of information and products on prices paid by Canadian consumers for food, shelter, transportation, healthcare and more!

Important note: The CPI portal will be updated regularly and expanded to include additional features. We welcome your feedback to help guide future development. Your valued input can be provided in the feedback form at the bottom of the portal webpage.

Based on data from the General Social Survey, the study showed that since 2016, Internet use rates among Canadians aged 15 to 64 have reached near-saturation (97.2%) levels. However, the diffusion of information and communications technology (ICT), including the Internet, has proceeded at a much slower pace among Canadians aged 65 and older. Given that Canada is an aging society, knowing about the factors associated with Internet use among seniors is crucial for ensuring their access to it.

Rates of Internet use differ across age groups within the senior population, with about 81% use among seniors aged 65 to 69, compared with 74% among those aged 70 to 74, 64% among those aged 75 to 79, and 49% among those aged 80 or older.

Education and income are also strong predictors of Internet use among seniors. In 2016, 89% of seniors with a university education were Internet users, compared with 46% of seniors without a high school diploma. For seniors with a household income between $60,000 and $79,999, the probability of Internet use was 73%, compared with 54% among seniors with incomes under $20,000 and 79% among seniors with incomes of $100,000 and over.

To access the full study, visit Evolving Internet Use Among Canadian Seniors in the Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series.

Statistics Canada is delighted to invite you to:

Gigs, superstars and the post job economy: The skills we need in Canada 4.0

When: Tuesday, September 10, 2019 from 1:30p.m. to 3:00p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, followed by a 30-minute question and answer discussion

Description: The digital transformation is changing the way we work. Advances in technology have made it increasingly attractive for firms to re-organize work into smaller projects or tasks or into projects which can be contracted out to increase flexibility and reduce costs. An emerging global labour market – where workers compete for tasks or "gigs" via digital platforms – is upending traditional economic measures, including employment, earnings and labour productivity.

This session will explore the extent and speed of these changes and the resulting challenges of developing labour market data to equip Canadian workers, businesses and students for a digital future.

Register for the English session.
Register for the French session.

Upcoming digital conferences

• September 26, 2019 – Platforms, AI, cloud computing and the changing nature of business in Canada
• October 24, 2019 – Take a tablet and call me in the morning: Healthcare in the digital age
• November 7, 2019 – Connected: The digital revolution and the well-being of Canadians
• November 28, 2019 – Canadata: Managing and governing our data reserves
• December 12, 2019 – A roadmap for Canada: Measuring our digital society and economy

For more information, please visit: Digital conferences.

You may also follow the discussion stream via Statistics Canada's Facebook page.

We sincerely hope you will join us in what will undoubtedly be a thought-provoking and fruitful discussion. Do not hesitate to share this email with partners, colleagues, staff or anyone who might be interested in participating in this event.

Statistics Canada engages regularly with Canadians to discuss statistical findings about the country's economy, society and environment. Events are held in various cities throughout the year to discuss the use of statistics in many fields. These events provide Statistics Canada with an opportunity to promote the role of official statistics and better understand data users' needs.

Check out online access to the presentations from the events below.

Atlantic Canada at Work: Evolving Opportunities

This presentation explores the evolving labour market in Atlantic Canada, and how it has been - and continues to be - influenced by socio-demographic factors, such as fertility, immigration and interprovincial migration. It examines the current labour market situation within the Atlantic region, as well as existing opportunities and future directions. Strategies being undertaken by Statistics Canada to provide more local and granular labour market information, and emerging issues of interest, such as the digital economy, are also presented.

• Toronto – A data Story on Ethnocultural Diversity and Inclusion in Canada
• Vancouver – A data Story on Ethnocultural Diversity and Inclusion in Canada
• Montréal – A data story on Ethnocultural Diversity and Inclusion in Canada

These presentations on Ethnocultural Diversity and Inclusion in Canada shows an overview of the evolution of ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic diversity and its measurement in Canada, with a focus on the country's largest metropolitan areas: Toronto. Vancouver and Montreal. It also outlines the inherent challenges and opportunities embedded in the measurement of diversity and highlights some of the very real socio-economic disparities observed on the road to inclusiveness and integration.

At the 2019 Youth Summit in Ottawa, we asked the Prime Minister's Youth Council to provide feedback on what they would like to know about their generation. We compiled data on the topics of most interest. The data, which are from the Statistics Canada presentation entitled "A Portrait of Canadian Youth: March 2019 Updates" provide information on the diversity of youth, their technology use, their social engagement, and their levels of education. Check out What matters to Canadian youth.

This infographic Maternal Mental Health in Canada depicts the percentage of mothers reporting symptoms of post-partum depression or anxiety by province, as well as the percentage of mothers who were concerned about their mental health and with whom they spoke to about it. Self-rated mental health is also presented.