Data sources, methods and definitions

This study uses data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The LFS is conducted every month to collect information about the labour market activities of the population at least 15 years of age, excluding residents of collective dwellings, persons living on reserves and other Aboriginal settlements, and full-time members of the Canadian Forces. Employed individuals are defined as those who had a job during the reference week of the survey.

According to the LFS, employment peaked in October 2008 in Canada, bottomed out in July 2009 and fully recovered in January 2011. Not all occupation estimates are seasonally adjusted—therefore results by skill level are based on non-seasonal data over a 2-year period (from January 2011 to January 2013). By definition, employment variations based on the same month are less likely to be affected by seasonal variations.