All Posts Tagged With: "statistics canada"
Canadian economy sheds 54,500 jobs in March
Employment drops in six of 10 provinces
Canada experienced the worst jobs performance in almost four years last month as 54,500 full time, private sector positions disappeared — an unexpectedly big drop that erased a gain in February.
The loss was the biggest since February 2009, and along with a small retreat in the number of Canadians looking for work, helped lift the unemployment rate two-tenths of a point to 7.2 per cent.
Economists had expected a weak March to even out the above-trend gains of February, but few saw such massive bleeding, leaving the country with about 26,000 fewer jobs than at the beginning of the year.
To make matters worse, all the pay-back was in the full-time category.
The losses in the economically important private sector were mammoth — with 85,400 workers joining the ranks of the unemployed.
Continue reading Canadian economy sheds 54,500 jobs in March
Graphic: what Canadians choose to study today
See which programs are increasingly popular
The programs post-secondary students choose these days suggest they’re somewhat aware of the job market. The first three charts below use data from the Ontario University Application Centre’s January 2013 statistics, which show the number of first-choice applications to Ontario university programs from Ontario secondary school students. Degrees in fields with jobs to spare, like engineering and nursing, are increasingly popular while applicants are shying away from things like forestry, journalism and education. Still, the other charts, from a new Statistics Canada report on what post-secondary enrollments looked like nationwide in 2010-11, show that despite a shaky economy business, social sciences and humanities still accounted for half of all enrollments.
Graphic by Jessie Willms. Text by Josh Dehaas.
Canada added 40,000 jobs in December
Unemployment rate at four-year low
The Canadian economy created 40,000 jobs in December — all of it in full-time work — and drove the unemployment rate to its lowest in four years, Statistics Canada said Friday.
Ontario accounted for about three-quarters of the jobs added across Canada in December and almost all of the other provinces either saw gains or stayed even. The only exception was Nova Scotia, which lost 5,000 jobs.
“We’ve seen pretty good numbers in four of the last five months, so it does look like there is a bit of strength percolating up late in 2012,” said Doug Porter, the Bank of Montreal’s deputy chief economist.
He noted the month-to-month moves in the overall number of jobs can be volatile.
Canada added 59,300 jobs in November
Unemployment drops to 7.2 per cent
Canada’s economy generated a surprisingly strong 59,300 new jobs last month, almost all full time and in the private sector, Statistics Canada said Friday.
The unexpectedly robust performance dropped the country’s unemployment rate 0.2 points to 7.2 per cent, the lowest it has been since June.
The strength of the November report was a welcome surprise.
Economists had anticipated a modest about 10,000 net gain as the economy weathers considerable headwinds from abroad — notably Europe, the United States and China.
In the third quarter, Canada posted the weakest quarter of growth — 0.6 per cent — in more than a year and analysts expect only a modest bounce-back during the current fourth quarter.
Canadian economy added 34,000 jobs in August
Positions are lower-quality and Ontario loses ground
Canada’s economy hammered out a surprisingly healthy 34,300 new jobs last month, topping expectations of only modest gains and completely reversing the previous month’s setback.
Analysts had expected the economy to add only about 10,000 jobs in August, reflecting the slow pace of growth and risk-filled nature of the global outlook.
The details of the August jobs report from Statistics Canada were not as strong as the headline number suggested, however, as all the gains were part-time jobs. As well, there were heavy losses in the goods producing sector, which generally pays higher wages.
Continue reading Canadian economy added 34,000 jobs in August
Why the tuition problem is worse than you think
Fees are up 4.3 per cent this fall: Statistics Canada
Photo courtesy of kenteegardin of www.seniorliving.org on Flickr
There tends to be a lot of talk this time of year about how high tuition fees have become. This year, the debate has been especially loud, because it is an election issue in more than one province.
And that was before Statistics Canada revealed today that tuition is up 4.3 per cent over last year to an average of $5,366 for undergraduates. Inflation is estimated at 2.7 per cent, which means tuition costs are growing faster than most prices.
The obvious problem with high fees is that no one likes to pay them. And when the issue is raised by politicians, it’s usually raised in terms of access: the economically disadvantaged won’t or can’t seek higher education if the price tag is too high. Research has suggested that children from lower-income families are less likely to go to university than richer students, but why that’s the case is a complex mix of social and economic factors, actual cost being just one, according to this study by Statistics Canada. As conservative commentators have noted, even now where tuition is highest, participation rates remain relatively high even among low-income students.
Continue reading Why the tuition problem is worse than you think
Summer job market improves
But some students fare better than others
Photo courtesy of EthanLong on Flickr
Unemployment for 17 to 19 year-old students in Canada is 2.2 per cent lower this June than it was last June, down from 16.0 per cent to 13.8 per cent, reports Statistics Canada.
But older students, those 20 to 24 years old, aren’t having a much easier time finding jobs this summer than last summer. Their unemployment rate remains unchanged from twelve months earlier at 11.0 per cent.
Still, Canadian youth face much lower unemployment than other countries. As of last month, the youth unemployment rates were 29 per cent in Italy, 32 per cent in Ireland, 24 per cent in Sweden, 20 per cent in the United Kingdom and 44 per cent in Spain.
Statistics Canada collects data specifically about students who are planning to return to post-secondary studies in the fall in its Labour Force Survey from May to August.
Canada’s dropout rate improves
But 10th percentile scores decline
Canada’s high school dropout rate has significantly declined over the past 20 years. The National Post summarized the results of three recent reports, including one from Statistics Canada that reported a declining high school dropout rate. For young adults aged 20-24, the rate was 8.5 per cent in 2009/2010, down about half from 20 years ago.
The Canadian high school dropout rate for adults aged 25-34 is 8 per cent, which compares favourably to an OECD average dropout rate of 20 per cent.
The third report, from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), measured the strength of school programs internationally. Despite doing well for average scores, Canadian schools didn’t do so well when it came to the 10th-percentile scores, which declined in many provinces over the past ten years. The Post pointed out that the highest provincial dropout rate, in Quebec, is twice as high as the lowest, in B.C.
Lastly, the dropout rate declined for First Nations aged 45-plus and those aged 35-44 among. The rate did not decline for those under the age of 35, which means a third of First Nation adults between the ages of 25-44 have no high school certification.
New statistics show the enrollment crunch is coming
Elementary and high school enrollment has been declining since 2002
In October, I wrote about the coming enrollment crunch, how Canada’s changing demographics will lead to a decline in university enrollment. Well, a new study, released yesterday by Statistics Canada, suggests that this crunch is already hitting elementary and high schools.
According to the report, enrollment rates at public elementary and secondary schools declined in 2008-09 for the seventh year in a row, after peaking in 2001-02.
Well-known Canadian economist and demographer David Foot has said that he expects university enrollment to start falling off between two and four years from now. And these new numbers suggest that his prediction is probably on the mark. Given the 2001-02 peak, we should see the number of high school graduates start to decline in 2014.
If there’s any silver lining, it’s that these declines have been rather small; between 2002-03 and 2008-09 enrollment at public elementary and secondary schools declined by less than 300,000 students. During that period, most years saw a decline of just under one per cent.
So while the statistics do back up the predictions that enrollment will start to decline it does look like, at least at first, these declines will be small.
Recession hurt students
Student unemployment spiked during recession according to Statistics Canada
While it is commonly understood that universities and colleges are a refuge from a hard economic climate, students were among the hardest hit by the recession, according to a report released by Statistics Canada yesterday. The unemployment rate jumped to nine per cent in 2009-10 compared to 6.5 per cent in 2007-08 before the economic downturn. Though the overall employment rate fell to 45 per cent from 48 per cent, it was still markedly higher than the 1970s when the employment rate for students was 25 per cent.
Summer of 2009 represented the hardest labour market for students aged 20-24 when the jobless rate hit 14 per cent, compared to nine per cent in summer 2008. During the recession those who worked, worked an average of one hour less, but the average wage rose from $10.75 to $11.80, resulting in average earnings holding at $6,300. Of students who worked, 96 per cent were employed in the service sector.
The report noted that a one per cent increase in unemployment, results in a six per cent increase of students seeking loans.
Statistics Canada remains optimistic that with the reversal of the economic downturn students who wish to find work should be able to do so. The employment rate increased in summer 2010 to to 47 per cent. “With signs that student employment is starting to recover, students wanting work may soon have a better chance of being employed again,” the report stated.
Tuition fees shoot upward
Cost of education rises at more than double the rate of inflation
Students are paying higher tuition fees, which have increased at more than double the rate of inflation, according to Statistics Canada’s yearly round up of the cost of education, released yesterday. On average, Canadian undergraduate students will pay $5,138 in 2010-11 for one year of university, compared to $4,942 in 2009-10, a four per cent hike. The consumer price index rose by 1.8 per cent.
Across the country, there was significant variation in the tuition rate, which ranged from a low of $2,415 in Quebec to a high of $6,307 in Ontario. All but three provinces saw tuition increase to some extent. Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick saw no change in tuition fees and tuition in Nova Scotia declined (4.5 per cent) for the third year in a row.
Tuition fees for graduate students increased faster than for undergraduates, at 6.6 per cent. The national average for graduate school tuition is $5,182, ranging from a low of $2,456 in Newfoundland to a high of $7,350 in Nova Scotia. Although, like their undergraduate counterparts, Nova Scotia’s graduate students saw a decrease in fees of 4.5 per cent. In fact, all four Maritime provinces saw a reduction in tuition for graduate students this year. Master’s of Business Administration programs were the most expensive graduate programs at a national average of $21,118, and $28,773 for executive MBA programs.
As for professional programs, students in dentistry paid the highest average fees at $14,701, followed by medicine ($10,244) and pharmacy ($9,250). International undergraduate students also saw their tuition increase, at 5.2 per cent, bringing the average rate up to $16,768. Average tuition fees don’t encompass the total increase to the cost of education, as compulsory fees also rose this year to $702 from $656 in 2009-10.
Students groups were unimpressed with the continued trend towards higher tuition fees. The Canadian Federation of Students called Ontario’s status as the jurisdiction with the highest tuition rate, an “embarrassment” in a media release. “While students in Ontario pay the most, they experience the largest classes and are funded at the lowest per capita levels in Canada,” Sandy Hudson, who chairs the group’s Ontario branch, said.
Similarly, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), highlighted how the recession has placed financial constraints on students and their parents. “[S]tudents and families have fewer resources to pay for a post-secondary education as a result of the recession,” CASA’s national director Zach Dayler said.
Students continue to find work
For second month in a row student job numbers improve
For the second month in a row student unemployment has dropped, according to the latest Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey. The overall unemployment rate increased 0.1 points to 8.0 per cent, but students aged 20-24 are having an easier time in the labour market over last summer.
The July unemployment rate for all students (ages 15-24) dropped 4.1 points over July 2009 to 16.8 per cent. Students in the 20-24 category posted an unemployment rate of 7.5 per cent, compared to 28.2 per cent for those in 15-16 category, and 18.2 per cent for the 18-19 age group. In June, the student unemployment rate for those aged 20-24 was 10.3 per cent.
Students find summer jobs
Labour Force Survey shows improved unemployment rate for students
Students are finding summer employment more readily this year, compared to last, according to numbers released Friday by Statistics Canada. The Overall unemployment rate, at 7.9 per cent, is at its lowest level since January 2009. While the May and June job numbers improved for most demographics, they are particularly encouraging for the summer student job market.
The unemployment rate for youths aged 15-24 dropped 0.5 per cent between May and June, and about one per cent over June 2009, bringing it to 14.6 per cent. When isolating students, those who were full time in March and who are planning to return to school in the fall, the unemployment rate has improved faster. For students aged 20-24, the June unemployment rate dropped 3.7 percentage points to 10.7, over June 2009. Last year unemployment for the same group increased by 4.8 per cent over 2008, the worst since 1997. For students aged 17-19, the June 2010 unemployment rate dropped 2.1 percentage points over June 2009 to 16 per cent.
Related: Students fight for summer jobs
Long live social science
Gender imbalance persists and social science continues to dominate, says Stats Can.
Students graduating from Canadian universities increased by 43 per cent between 1992 and 2007, according to a Statistics Canada report released today. The study revealed few demographic shifts among Canadian students and what they studied. There were a few notable changes in the gender distribution and in the share of international students graduating from Canadian institutions.
The proportion of graduates aged 22 to 24 has held steady at 44 per cent. Graduates between 25 and 29 increased slightly from 22 to 25 per cent, while graduates over 30 decreased slightly from 25 per cent to 23 per cent.
The gender imbalance on Canadian campuses has persisted, as the share of women graduating increased to 61 per cent from 56 per cent. Data on international students prior to 2000 was inconsistent across the provinces, but between 2001 and 2006, international students graduating from Canadian schools increased to 7.4 per cent from 4.7 per cent.
There has been virtually no change in the fields that Canadians study, with the social and behaviourial sciences and law accounting for a little more than a fifth of all graduates. Additionally, the top three fields including business and public administration and education, as well as the social sciences account for more than half of all graduates.
Health related fields are almost exclusively female, with 82 per cent of all graduates in 2007 being women. In fact, women dominate in all fields except for three: architecture and engineering, math and computer science, and protective and transportation services. However, the only category that saw a decrease in the share of women is math and computer science, which has been accompanied by a similar decline among Canadian males pursuing those fields. It is a trend that has been offset by a greater proportion of international students, mostly male, studying math and computer science.
Statistics Canada says data for 2008 will be released next year.
Student summer employment slumps
For students 20 to 24, unemployment hits 14 per cent, the highest rate since 1997
In this story, published today, The Globe and Mail’s Elizabeth Church has some great anecdotes about students who are struggling in summer 2009′s tough job market.
Her article is timely, considering two studies that were recently released.
In Statistics Canada’s latest labour force survey, the agency found that compared with June 2008, employment was down 43,000 for students aged 20 to 24 in June 2009. That means their unemployment jumped 4.8 percentage points to 14 per cent, which is the highest June unemployment rate for these students since 1997.
StatsCan also found that the labour market for 17 to 19-year-old students is slumping. Employment for this age group was down 50,000 between June of 2008 and 2009. That brings their unemployment rate to 18.1 per cent, the highest since June 1998.
In another report released last February, the Educational Policy Institute predicted rising youth unemployment will add more than 105,000 new borrowers to the Canada Student Loan Program in the next three years. The study found that a one per cent rise in youth unemployment increases the demand for student loans by about six per cent.
For more from this story, click here. For Jobless? No, I’m funemployed click here.
What’s the real difference between men and women?
When it comes to career and life, the sexes make similar choices — but at different times
Question: What’s the real difference between men and women?
Answer: It’s all in the timing.
Based on the results of Statistics Canada survey released today, although men and women follow similar pathways from school to adult life, the main difference is in the timing of when they make certain transitions.
Studying more than 22,000 young people over eight years, researchers found that the most common sequence of events after formal education was pretty much what you might think: leave school, find a full-time job, leave the parental home, form a relationship, have children.
However, they also found some interesting facts: men were leaving school and working full-time earlier than women, while women moved out of their parents’ homes, formed relationships and had children earlier than men. Over those eight years, from 2000 to 2008, more men worked full-time and still lived with their parents. (Does this remind you of anyone? If so, that’s why.)
Respondents, who were 18 to 20 years old in 2000 and from all 10 Canadian provinces, also provided information about higher ed. When the survey started, about 55 per cent of both men and women had participated in some form of college, university or private post-secondary education. In 2008, by time they were 26 to 28 years old, this proportion had increased to 81 per cent.
Colleges edged out universities in terms of attendance, with 43 per cent of student attending college, and 42 per cent attending university. Overall, though, more women were going to university (8 per cent) and college (7 per cent) than men by the time the survey ended in 2008.
But women didn’t top all the lists. Over the full eight years of the study, a smaller proportion of women than men were working, and a smaller proportion were working full-time. In 2008, 80 per cent of men had a job and were not in school compared with 72 per cent of women. And about 75 per cent of men were working full-time compared with 63 per cent of women.
When the survey started, in 2000, 8 per cent of both women and men didn’t have jobs, but eight years later those numbers were drastically split. Thirteen per cent of women didn’t have jobs, which is almost double the six per cent of men who also didn’t have jobs.
Most obviously, the report’s authors say the reason why women between 26 and 28 had a lower rate of participation in the labour market could be directly related to the fact that more women were in a relationship and had children earlier than men. In 2008, 57 per cent of women were (or had been) married or common-law compared with 42 per cent of men. Almost twice as many women (32 per cent) than men (18 per cent) had children at the same age.
- photo courtesy of daniel.julia
Zigzag routes of Atlantic post-secondary students
Report finds many “dropouts” either transfer or suspend their studies
Statistics Canada has released a new study of post-secondary student persistence in the Atlantic provinces. The report was prepared by Ross Finnie and Theresa Qiu who authored a similar national study last year titled The Patterns of Persistence in Post-Secondary Education in Canada.
As with the earlier study, the new report shows that many of the students who leave post-secondary institutions before graduating actually switch to another institution or temporarily suspended their post-secondary education before enrolling again (often referred to as stop-outs). The report demonstrates that community college and university dropout rates tend to be overstated because students who switch institutions or leave briefly and return are often not taken into account.
The study found that the rate of leaving was higher for college students than for university students in Atlantic Canada. Among students aged 17 to 20 when they started university, men were more likely to leave their studies than women – 28% of men left compared to 22% of women. Amongst college students, the rates were almost identical for men and women (33% and 34% respectively).
The study found that 33% of students aged 17 to 20 who enrolled in a university in the fall of 2002 or 2003 had left their studies within two years, however, about 25% of these students switched to another institution. About 25% of the remaining university early leavers subsequently resumed their studies. For college students, the two-year dropout rate was about 35% over the same time period. The number of switchers amongst college students was much lower as compared to university students.
After accounting for switchers and stop-outs, the two-year dropout rate for Atlantic universities fell from 33% to 18% while the rate for colleges dropped from 35% to 29%.
The full report can be downloaded here in .pdf format.
