Innovation in post-secondary education, Skills for the post-pandemic world. Toronto: Future Skills Centre.
Key Takeaway: Canadian post-secondary institutions need to adapt their curriculum rapidly to address post-pandemic skills gaps. The report examines Canada’s post-secondary institutions in the current juncture of COVID-19 and the ability to adapt to technological advances in education. Some key features of this flexibility come from the ability to change curriculum to meet the…Read More
Impact of COVID-19 on businesses majority-owned by visible minorities in Canada, second quarter of 2021. Statistics Canada.
This research explores the impact of COVID-19 on businesses majority-owned by visible minorities in the second quarter of 2021, using data from the Canadian Business Survey. Businesses majority-owned by visible minorities represent 13% of all private sector businesses. The authors find that businesses majority-owned by visible minorities face greater decreases in demand, prices, sales and profitability compared to all…Read More
The mother of invention: Skills for innovation in the post-pandemic world. Toronto: Future Skills Centre.
This innovation report looks at the skills necessary for the post-COVID economy. The findings suggest that over half the Canadian workforce will need to reskill within the next five years due to the disruption of the pandemic and accelerated technological automation. The pandemic has exacerbated these challenges in adopting and creating new technologies. Despite…Read More
Impact of COVID-19 on the tourism sector, second quarter of 2021. Statistics Canada.
Travel restrictions have had a significant impact on businesses in the tourism sector. Nearly 85% of businesses in the tourism sector experienced a decline in revenue in 2020. Many tourism businesses believe losses will continue into the near future and anticipate rising costs of inputs, continued and additional travel restrictions and other obstacles to attracting customers. Despite these challenges, businesses in the tourism sector report a positive outlook in…Read More
Skilled immigrant women’s career trajectories during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
This research explores the impact of COVID-19 on the work experiences and labour market outcomes of skilled immigrant women. The authors examine the experiences of immigrant women with a higher-level of education who arrived in Canada within the past five years. The pandemic contributed to the shifting structure of work by marginalizing some groups more than others, thereby limiting the social capital and support available for…Read More
Bargaining tech: Strategies for shaping technological change to benefit workers. Vancouver, BC: Centre for Future Work.
Key Takeaway: The impact of technology on jobs largely depends on how it is implemented, and it will be vital to give workers more say in negotiating how workplace technology unfolds. . This paper in the Centre for Future Work’s PowerShare project assesses the impact of modern technology on the quantity and quality of…Read More
Skills training that works: Lessons from demand-driven approaches. Montreal: Institute for Research on Public Policy.
Key Takeaway: Government-sponsored skills training can be effective when aligned with employer needs to meet the skills demand in local labour markets. Prior to the pandemic, Canada’s skills development systems were already struggling to meet fast-changing labour market needs. With pressure from technological and demographic changes, Canada needs a skills development system capable of…Read More
The implications of slowing growth in Canada’s labour force. Fraser Institute.
Key Takeaway: Labour force growth is likely to continue its recent slowdown, emphasizing the importance of policies to stimulate investment and boost productivity. This report examines projections on labour force growth and discusses what a possible decline of growth could mean for the Canadian economy. Most projections identified in the report show some slowdown…Read More
Job polarization in Canada. Toronto, ON: Future Skills Centre.
Key Takeaway: As policymakers consider how to build back the economy after the pandemic, addressing the problems created by job polarization must figure in their priorities. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the phenomenon of job polarization — including automation, offshoring and the growing importance of the gig economy. This report looks at job polarization,…Read More
Canadians’ Well-being in Year One of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Catalogue no. 75F0002M. Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada, Government of Canada.
This paper describes how the well-being aspects of income and wealth, knowledge and skills, work–life balance, health, and environment have been affected during the COVID‑19 pandemic. Income and wealth of low-income earners were significantly impacted, and both unemployment and financial stressors have been disproportionately felt by women, youth, indigenous people and minority groups. Many of these same…Read More