Graph of the Week: Provincial Variations in Literacy Scores Among Educated Adults
Literacy is a critical determinant of economic and social outcomes, underpinning effective communication, problem-solving, and workforce adaptability. In Canada, there is significant provincial variation in average literacy scores among adults aged 16–65 with a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Potential explanations include: quality of education, access to adult training, upskilling opportunities across provinces, and the composition […] Don Drummond and Parisa Mahboubi – Don’t panic about the unemployment rate
Published in the Financial Post. Statistics Canada announces the unemployment numbers for December on Friday. Media reporting last month on the release of November’s numbers painted a picture of economic distress, given the jump in the overall unemployment rate from 6.5 to 6.8 per cent. But the alarmed response missed critical developments in the underlying […] Harnessing Immigrant Talent: Reducing Overqualification and Strengthening the Immigration System
University-educated immigrants, especially recent arrivals, face disproportionately high rates of overqualification for their jobs compared to non-immigrants. This issue persists across various immigrant groups, with family-class immigrants and refugees experiencing particularly high levels. Immigrants can end up in jobs not matching their education level because of barriers to foreign credential recognition, lack of Canadian […] Christopher Worswick – Let’s Grab a Labour Mobility Win from the Trump Trade Turbulence
From: Christopher Worswick To: Concerned Canadians Date: December 9, 2024 Re: Let’s Grab a Labour Mobility Win from the Trump Trade Turbulence Last month Donald Trump said he’d impose a 25-percent tariff on all products from Canada and Mexico. Next, he reportedly joked that, if Canada cannot bear the economic consequences of the tariff, then it should become America’s “51st state.” […] Public Sector Employment Balloons Compared to Private Sector
Between 2019 and 2023, Canada’s public sector employment grew at more than twice the rate of the private sector, increasing by 13 percent compared to just 5.9 percent. This shift added around half a million public sector jobs, with public administration as the largest contributor, raising the public sector’s share of total employment from 19.7 […] Christopher Worswick – High-Skill Migrants Should be Our Goal
From: Christopher Worswick To: Immigration observers Date: November 4, 2024 Re: High-Skill Migrants Should be Our Goal Late last month, Ottawa introduced major reductions in permanent-resident numbers and published population targets for temporary migrants for the first time. This policy pivot is a sensible response to the evolving immigration and macroeconomic situation in Canada. Given the dramatic increases […] Graph of the Week: Rising Unemployment Challenges Newcomers in a Changing Canadian Economy
During the 2010s, the unemployment rate gap between newcomers and Canadian-born individuals narrowed, largely due to changes in immigration policies, such as the introduction of the Express Entry system. This trend continued in 2021 and 2022 as labour market conditions tightened. However, newcomers and non-permanent residents are now experiencing a sharp rise in unemployment, bearing […] Brian Lewis – Doug Ford’s inaction has left Ontario’s most vulnerable without a fighting chance
Published in the Toronto Star
October 1 could have been a celebratory day for Ontarians concerned with the struggles of low-income residents. After all, it’s the day the minimum wage will nudge up – following behind inflation, sure – but up nonetheless. But if you’re living on Ontario Works, or what used to be called welfare, the date will carry a more bitter significance. It will have been a full six years since any increase in the amounts for basic needs and shelter.
In that time, inflation has worked its ugly powers and the price of everything has gone up. There has been a 20-per-cent hike in the cost of living for the typical Ontario family, hitting the basics like food and housing especially hard.
If you happen to…
Settling into a New Normal? Working from Home across Canada
At the end of 2023, 26 percent of paid employees across Canada spent at least part of their week working from home, down from 42 percent in the spring of 2020.1 There are substantial differences across Canada in work-from-home arrangements. Regional differences largely reflect the feasibility and desirability of working from home. Important factors, such […] Graph of the Week: Core Inflation Components Fall Below 3% – A Sign of Broad Softening
Graph of the Week is a new series from the C.D. Howe Institute’s Graphic Intelligence that presents valuable and easily digestible data. Each Monday we unveil one new captivating chart or graph with interesting insights, explaining it in two-to-three sentences. Dive into the data with us.Headline inflation came in right at the 2 percent target […] Daniel Schwanen – Ordering the rail workers back was the right thing to do
Published in The Globe and Mail
Millions of Canadians and hundreds of thousands of businesses were relieved to hear that on Saturday, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) had ordered the country’s two major national railways, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, to resume services, and for their workers to return to their jobs. At the same time, it sent their contract disputes to binding arbitration.
This decision, taken at the behest of Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon, came after lockouts by the two companies last week, and strikes called by members of the Teamsters union.
The CIRB had ruled earlier this month that the rail transport of commodities is not an essential service – not resulting in…
Graph of the Week: Tracking The Gap – Unemployment and Job Vacancies in Canada
Introducing Graph of the Week, a new series from the C.D. Howe Institute’s Graphic Intelligence that presents valuable and easily digestible data. Each Monday we will unveil one new captivating chart or graph with interesting insights, explaining it in two-to-three sentences. Dive into the data with us.The gap between the number of unemployed and job vacancies in Canada […]