Assessing labour market slack for monetary policy. Ottawa: Bank of Canada.
This research explores Canada’s recovery and the indicators used to evaluate labour market health. The authors constructed an Expanded Labour Market Indicator to evaluate the various labour market slack measures and their concordances. COVID-19 has disrupted the degree of concordance between indicators — with individual measures sending mixed messages about the current health of…Read More
Chapter 3: Portrait of youth in Canada. Youth and education in Canada: Data report. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.
Post-secondary education rates are rising among younger Canadians as compared to older Canadians and to other OECD countries. While this is true across income groups, some groups fare better than others. Educational attainment is rising faster among women and second-generation immigrants, particularly those of Asian descent. Black youth are the least likely to attain post-secondary education. COVID-19 has challenged the education and earnings potential of graduates and may have long-term effects.…Read More
Sink or swim: Transforming Canada’s economy for a global low-carbon future. Ottawa: CICC.
Key Takeaway: The global low-carbon transition presents an enormous economic opportunity for Canada, but large-scale investment to build transition readiness is needed before markets change. “Sink or Swim” reports on the current state of Canada’s plans to lower carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. While certain industries will see changes in their profitability,…Read More
The financial resilience and financial well-being of Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada and Seymour Management Consulting Inc.
This report provides insights on the financial well-being and resilience of Canadians during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report seeks to determine the evolving level of financial resiliency of Canadian households, specifically, The number of Canadians living in households facing difficulties meeting key expenses Which Canadians are experiencing those hardships Among the groups that reported heightened levels of difficulty were those living in single-parent households, seniors, immigrants to Canada,…Read More
Impact of COVID-19 on businesses in retail trade, third quarter of 2021. StatCan COVID-19: Data to Insights for a Better Canada. Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada.
This paper explores expectations of businesses in the retail trade sector after a year of public health measures and restrictions amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Many Canadian retailers shut down operations, curtailing hours and customer flow, in March 2020 as a response to government-imposed measures aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. This contributed to changes in consumer shopping habits. The…Read More
World social protection report 2020–22: Social protection at the crossroads — in pursuit of a better future. Geneva: ILO.
This report examines the trends and the impact of COVID-19 in extending social protection and developing rights-based social protection systems around the world. Historically, social protection systems have grown, but big gaps still exist in coverage, comprehensiveness and adequacy. The pandemic has provoked unparalleled policy responses but also compounded pre-existing challenges, contributing to growing…Read More
Canadian labour market dynamics during COVID-19. NBER Working Paper 29098. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
This paper discusses the types of unemployment caused by COVID-19 and their differing patterns and dynamics throughout the pandemic. While unemployed job seekers usually make up most of the unemployed, temporary separations from employment dominated the labour market at the beginning of the pandemic. As many of these separations were not classified as layoffs, the already high unemployment rate was understated. The rates of temporary layoffs remain high through recovery while labour demand as measured by job postings is also extremely high. The paper thus argues that pandemic restrictions might be stalling full…Read More
Inequality, employment and COVID-19, Priorities for fostering an inclusive recovery in BC. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Lower-paid workers in part-time, temporary and precarious jobs were more likely to lose their jobs in the pandemic and experience a slower recovery. Female, Indigenous and racialized workers are more likely to fall in this category. Other factors such as being a parent, an immigrant, or an essential worker exacerbated the impacts of the pandemic on workers, preventing individuals from fully participating…Read More
Supporting Entrepreneurship and SMEs: A Post-Pandemic Skills and Training Agenda. Future Skills Centre.
This report reviews existing research on the upskilling and training needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs and presents preliminary results from a survey on skills and competencies. The survey results show that more work needs to be done to better support SMEs to bridge skills gaps and overcoming labour shortages. SMEs and entrepreneurs have limited capacity to invest in human resources, recruitment, training and…Read More
Global call to action for a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient. Geneva: ILO.
The ILO has raised several key issues in their call to action for pandemic recovery. The global pandemic has had a profound impact on humanity, underscoring the interdependence of all societies and cultures. The global labour market continues to face increased unemployment, labour shortages, business closures, particularly for small to medium enterprises, as well as supply chain disruptions. The crisis affected the most disadvantaged…Read More