Recruitment Challenges Linked to Housing Availability and Costs

Housing availability and affordability pose a notable barrier to recruitment in Canada, with about one in five businesses reporting “large or moderate” difficulties in the past year. The challenge varies across regions: businesses in the territories are most affected, while high-cost provinces like BC and Ontario also struggle. These constraints discourage workers from relocating, resulting in […]

Immigration Targets Council

The C.D. Howe Institute Immigration Targets Council is comprised of leading academics and policy experts who provide independent recommendations on Canada’s immigration-level targets and the design of its selection system. Meeting annually ahead of the federal government’s November 1st release of its Immigration Levels Plan, the Council reviews demographic, labour market, and policy considerations to […]

A Realistic Strategy to Wean Canadian Businesses Off Low-Skill Foreign Labour

From: Mikal SkuterudTo: Labour Market WatchersDate: September 9, 2025Re: A Realistic Strategy to Wean Canadian Businesses Off Low-Skill Foreign Labour Uprooting one’s life to settle in a new country is always daunting, but it’s particularly unnerving when immigration rules are in constant flux. Attracting foreign talent requires a system that is stable, transparent, and predictable. […]

Which Jobs Could Easily Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy?

September 9, 2025 – Canada’s labour market faces major shifts – from technological change to new trade models and the energy transition – making better planning essential to help workers adapt. A new C.D. Howe Institute report finds that while many of the skills needed to shift into emerging jobs in a lower-carbon economy are […]

Not All School Boards Deliver Equal Outcomes – What Explains the Difference?

Not all school boards deliver the same results for students – even after accounting for socioeconomic background. In Grade 6 mathematics, the District School Board of Niagara, Conseil scolaire Viamonde, Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, and Le Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir stand out with significantly stronger outcomes than many other boards. Past evidence suggests that, […]

Signposts of Success: Evaluating Ontario’s Elementary Schools

Explore how your child’s elementary school stacks up with the Signpost of Success map. Based on three years of EQAO math and literacy results, this tool adjusts for socioeconomic factors – like parental education, family structure, and recent immigration – to provide a fairer, more accurate view of Ontario school performance. See where your school […]

Youth Unemployment Gap Widens, Raising Long-Term Concerns

Canada’s youth-to-adult unemployment ratio has increased from 2.05 in 2021 to 2.48 in the first half of 2025 (January–July), nearly matching the pandemic-era peak of 2020. This represents a reversal of the steady declines following the 2008–2009 recession, which reduced the ratio to a low of 2.0 in 2017. An elevated ratio is concerning, as […]

Signposts of Success: Evaluating Ontario’s Elementary Schools

The Signposts of Success report returns to give parents and policymakers a reliable way to compare schools across Ontario. This revived series highlights which schools and boards outperform expectations – and what that reveals about student success.

A New Trade War, an Old Barrier: Why Canada’s Labour Mobility Bill is Long Overdue

From: Tingting Zhang (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)To: Labour market observersDate: August 27, 2025Re: A New Trade War, An Old Barrier: Why Canada’s Labour Mobility Bill Is Long Overdue The federal government’s new One Canadian Economy Act, which enacts the Labour Mobility in Canada Act, was prompted by recent US-Canada trade tensions, but also addresses a long-standing […]

Experts Recap University and College Foreign Student Caps

With foreign student caps now firmly in place, how are Canada’s colleges and universities fairing? According to Alex Usher of Higher Education Strategy Associates and the University of Waterloo’s Mikal Skuterud, Ottawa needs to prioritize students – and the provinces need to prioritize spending.  

Experts Recap University and College Foreign Student Caps

With foreign student caps now firmly in place, how are Canada’s colleges and universities fairing? According to Alex Usher of Higher Education Strategy Associates and the University of Waterloo’s Mikal Skuterud, Ottawa needs to prioritize students – and the provinces need to prioritize spending.

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