Statscan findings to paint picture of workforce

Education also part of latest survey results

OTTAWA — The state of Canada’s workforce — and Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s attempts to beef it up — will be under the microscope Wednesday as Statistics Canada releases the latest chapter of its replacement for the long- form census.

The second part of the National Household Survey will portray in detail how educated Canadians are, where they work, how they get there, what language they use in the office and how often they change jobs.

As the federal Conservatives place skills and training at the centre of their policy agenda, the survey is expected to provide a clearer picture of what parts of the workforce are aging, what sectors are on the wane and where educators are putting an increasing emphasis.

Specifically, the survey will highlight the education gap between girls and boys, showing whether young women continue to dominate university and college attainment. The 2006 census showed 33 per cent of women between 25 and 34 years old had a university degree, compared to just 25 per cent of men.

This week’s survey — a voluntary endeavour, unlike its mandatory predecessor, making comparisons difficult — will also shed light on whether aboriginal peoples are making progress in their struggle to improve graduation rates and catch up to the rest of the population.

Employment and education of immigrants will also get a thorough examination.

And special attention will be paid to science, math and technology. What demographics are flooding into a group of fields thought to be the key to Canada’s competitive advantage?

The survey will also examine the aging of the workforce, exploring which professions have the oldest employees and which areas are attracting younger workers.

“We should see some changes, some shifting to the knowledge economy,” said Doug Norris, chief demographer at Environics Analytics and a former senior census official.

Norris said he expects employment in the retail sector will surpass manufacturing jobs — proof of the slow shift away from goods production toward services.

Equally important in the survey will be what’s missing. The survey does not replicate the long-form census of years past, making precise comparisons over time difficult because of the change in the way the information is collected, officials say.

The first release of the survey, which took place in May, made it clear Statistics Canada is reluctant to release data at the local level.

Rather, the emphasis will be on the big picture of labour and education in Canada, giving governments, employers, educators and employees a deeper understanding of the availability of skills in regions across the country.