Apprenticeships, higher education pay off financially

Grads in STEM studies had higher earnings than those in arts, health and education

OTTAWA— More Canadians are getting an education and those studies are paying returns with higher salaried jobs, new census data reveals.

More young men are getting into skilled trades, lured by job openings and the prospect of earning good wages, while women graduates dominate nursing and medical degrees.

The latest release of data from the 2016 census paints a picture of education in Canada and how those skills are fitting into the workforce.

Canada ranks as one of the best educated countries. In 2016, 54 per cent of Canadians aged 25 to 64 had either college or university qualifications, up from 48.3 per cent a decade earlier, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday. That’s the highest proportion of college and university graduates of all OECD countries, a rate attributed to Canada’s large college sector. Getting a college diploma, university degree or doing an apprenticeship pays off in the pocketbook, the data confirms.

“University degrees do pay higher than lower levels of education,” said John Zhao, chief census education section at Statistics Canada.

But not all degrees are equal when it comes to the job prospects or earning potential.

Graduates with bachelor’s degrees in the fields of nursing, engineering, education and teaching, and computer and information science fared best at finding jobs related to their studies.

Grads in STEM studies (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) had higher earnings than those in business, humanities, health, arts, social science and education — 23.9 per cent more for men and 11.5 per cent for women.

Those with a degree in the fields of arts and humanities and social and behavioural sciences were more likely to land work that required a high school education at most, making them “overqualified” for their jobs, Statistics Canada said.

While grads in these fields emerge with skills in critical thinking, analysis and writing that be used in a variety of occupations, their pay tends to be lower and many opt to pursue further studies, Zhao said. Among the findings:

More women are obtaining a bachelor’s degree or higher — 40.7 per cent of women aged 25 to 34 in 2016, up from 32 per cent in 2006. For the first time ever in 2016, women accounted for slightly more than half of those aged 25 to 34 with an earned doctorate.

Women made up 92 per cent of nursing graduates ages 25 to 34 at the bachelor’s level and 64 per cent of young grads with medical degrees. The earnings of young nursing grads —$75,027 — were on par with young women with an engineering degree. Strong demand in the health sector meant that almost all women with a nursing degree found work in the field.

Young men are moving into the skilled trades. Those with an apprenticeship certificate rose to 7.8 per cent, up from 4.9 per cent in 2006, and they’re earning more than men with college diplomas or high school education alone. In resource-rich Saskatchewan, men with an apprenticeship certificate were earning more than men with a bachelor’s degree. The number of women with an apprenticeship certificate has remained stable since 2006 and they tended toward lower-paying trades.

Men with apprenticeship certifications most commonly trained to become electricians, earning a median income of $84,016.

Immigrants to Canada are welleducated with 40 per cent aged 25 to 64 having a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to under 25 per cent for Canadian-born citizens. The percentage of all immigrants with a master’s or doctoral degree is twice that of those born in Canada.

Almost one-third of refugees who received their permanent resident status went back to school in Canada to upgrade their education.

Ottawa has the highest proportion of university graduates (43.5 per cent), followed by Toronto (40.9 per cent).

Workers in Alberta had the highest earnings at every level of education, due likely to that province’s oil boom. But Statistics Canada cautions that the drop in oil prices has likely had an impact on that rosy picture.

Indigenous peoples are also making gains at all levels of education, but those living on reserves face barriers, such as having to leave their communities to attend even high school.

Single mothers are also doing better with 20.4 per cent having a bachelor’s degree, up from 14.7 per cent 10 years earlier.