Winter 2010

Employment patterns of postsecondary students
Katherine Marshall

This article examines long-term trends in employment for postsecondary students. The rate of employment, hours of work and employment earnings of male and female students are covered. How other student characteristics relate to employment is also addressed. Particular attention is paid to student employment during labour market downturns.

Recognition of newcomers' foreign credentials and work experience
René Houle and Lahouaria Yssaad

Using the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada, this study sheds light on a specific aspect of newcomers' settlement-recognition of their foreign credentials and work experience in relation to their individual characteristics. These characteristics range from class of immigrant (skilled-worker principal applicants, family class, refugees, etc.), education and field of study to country where the highest credential was earned, and knowledge of English or French. The study also examines foreign credential and work experience recognition at three time points over a four-year period-six months, two years and four years after landing.

Offshorability and wages in the service sector
Yuqian Lu and René Morissette

This study uses data from the Labour Force Survey to examine whether offshorable service-sector occupations and other comparable occupations have displayed similar wage growth since the late 1990s. The analysis allows results to vary across service-sector occupations and worker characteristics.

Temporary employment in the downturn
Diane Galarneau

This article tracks trends in temporary employment since the Labour Force Survey (LFS) began measuring it from 1997 to 2009 with particular attention to the recent economic downturn. It also examines the earnings gap between temporary and permanent positions and looks at whether that gap changed during the recent employment slowdown.

Unionization 2010
Sharanjit Uppal

This update provides unionization rates for 2009 and the first half of 2010. It also includes data on earnings, wage settlements, inflation, and strikes and lockouts.