Summer 2008
Archived Content
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Hours polarization revisited
Jeannine Usalcas
Hours of work can vary dramatically from job to job. And some research has indicated that the greater inequality of earnings into the mid-1990s was accompanied by increasing polarization of working hours. More recently, attention has focused on a decline in average working hours. This article quantifies changes in average work hours since the 1970s and examines how changes in the distribution of work hours contribute to the overall trend.
Retiring together, or not
Grant Schellenberg and Yuri Ostrovsky
Throughout much of the last century, older couples faced only one retirement decision—the husband's. However, the dramatic rise and sustained participation of women in the paid labour force since the 1970s transformed the retirement transitions of married couples—increasingly, couples had to make two decisions and balance the preferences and constraints of partners who both made substantial contributions to household income. This article looks at the extent to which spouses synchronize the timing of their retirements, the factors associated with taking one or another pathway into retirement and changes in patterns of retirement through the 1990s.
Work-related training
Matt Hurst
Lifelong learning has become a virtual career necessity. Not all pressures to train come from the employer—employees have their reasons too. This article looks at how participation in job-related courses changed between 1993 and 2002 across a number of social and demographic characteristics. In particular, the factors affecting training, whether employer supported or self funded, are explored.
Running a census in a tight labour market
Ted Wannell
The 2006 Census hit the streets during the hottest labour market in a generation, with many regional unemployment rates at long-term lows and wage increases outstripping price hikes. While technological advances reduced manpower needs, tens of thousands of temporary workers were still required—which proved to be a problem in many areas. Census managers extended the collection period and moved an unprecedented number of enumerators across regions to attain acceptable data quality while remaining within budget.
Life after teenage motherhood
May Luong
The general view is that teenage childbearing will have long-term negative effects on the well-being of the mother—she may have more difficulty completing high school, which means she may be less likely to pursue postsecondary education and acquire skills for better jobs. Since low-skilled jobs tend to pay less, teenage mothers would have a higher likelihood of living in low income. This study looks at women aged 30 to 39 to determine whether teenage childbearing is related to lower long-term socioeconomic characteristics, with the focus on educational attainment, labour force participation, and living in low income.
Low-income children
Dominique Fleury
There was almost no change in the proportion of children under age 18 living in a low-income family from 1989 to 2004, despite government interventions and a strong economy since the 1990/1992 recession. In addition, the disparity between well-off and lowincome children increased, the economic situation of families of well-off children having improved. Family situation and parents' insufficient employment had the greatest influence on children's vulnerability to low income. It is a changing phenomenon, as few children remain in low income for several consecutive years.
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