Recovery and stability: A shadow federal budget for 2021. Toronto, ON: C.D. Howe Institute.
The C.D. Howe Institute proposes a Shadow Budget for the federal government of Canada to address two challenges. The first is executing measures conductive to a strong post-pandemic economic recovery and the second is lowering government debt to amounts that are economically viable and fair to future Canadians. This Shadow Budget includes measures…Read More
Adoption of digital technologies: Insights from a global survey initiative. Ottawa, ON: Bank of Canada.
Key Takeaway: Compared with small/medium-sized firms, large firms are more likely to adopt digital technologies and more likely to expect negative effects on both employment and prices. We live in a constantly changing world and digital technology is the main driver of this change. The Bank of Canada, together with a global network of…Read More
Work at home or live at work: The complexities of new working arrangements. Toronto, ON: Environics Institute for Survey Research, Future Skills Centre, and The Diversity Institute.
Key Takeaway: Working from home may have been a blessing for some, but not for all. In late 2020, as the pandemic’s second wave gathered momentum in Canada and the number of new COVID-19 cases steadily increased, the second wave of the Survey on Employment and Skills was conducted, focusing on how Canadians have…Read More
How to forecast skills in demand: A primer. Toronto, ON: Future Skills Centre.
Key Takeaway: Forecasting in-demand skills is extremely challenging but three broad approaches are available that draw on different types of skills data. There is no “silver bullet” approach to forecasting in-demand skills, but three broad approaches are available: Forecasting employment in occupations and mapping these data to skills Forecasting skills based on those listed…Read More
21st century digital skills: Competencies, innovations and curriculum in Canada. Ottawa: Information and Communications Technology Council.
With education becoming increasingly hybrid (a blend of online and in-person), it is essential to understand the digital skills and competencies required by students and educators for online or hybrid education to be effective. Those responsible for preparing the next generation of workers require ongoing skills development and training to ensure that they have…Read More
Labour market attachment, workplace infection control procedures and mental health: a cross-sectional survey of Canadian non-healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Annals of Work Exposures and Health, 65(3), 266-276.
This paper explores the relationship between mental health, labour market attachment and protective health measures at work. The researchers surveyed over 5000 respondents, measuring anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as their perceived adequacy and implementation of infection control programs and personal protective equipment at their workplace. The respondents were grouped between unemployed, remote workers and…Read More
Aggressive incrementalism: Strengthening the foundations of Canada’s approach to childcare. Toronto, ON: C.D. Howe Institute.
The authors of this paper look at Canada’s current early learning and childcare policies and suggest three recommendations. First, the existing Child Care Expense Deduction (CCED), which is regressive in nature since it reinforces patriarchal gender roles for parents, should be substituted with a more generous, progressive, frequently paid refundable tax credit. Second, provinces…Read More
Working from home: Productivity and preferences. Catalogue no. 45280001. Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada, Government of Canada.
This study uses the supplement to the Labour Force Survey and focus on the core-aged employees who usually worked outside the home prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but worked most of their hours at home during the week of February 14 to 20, 2021. Most of these new teleworkers (90%) report being at least as productive at home as they were in their usual place of…Read More
Characteristics of businesses that closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Catalogue no. 36-28-0001. Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada, Government of Canada.
This study compares the characteristics of businesses that closed in September and November of 2020 with those closed in February 2020 to estimate the risk of business closure due to COVID 19. It uses new linked administrative data on business closures and past financial positions to estimate how business characteristics impact closures. It finds that businesses that closed in…Read More
COVID-19 and the gender gap in employment among parents of young children in Canada. Gender & Society, 35(2), 206–217.
This research explores the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender and class equity. The authors find that between February and October 2020, gender inequalities in employment widened primarily because female-dominated sectors were more disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. School closures and childcare restrictions also widened the gap. However, as restrictions eased, re-opening…Read More