Recession Illustrates Variations Among Groups of Workers

As data on the recession is collected, trends in labour market attachment among worker populations are becoming evident:
> women aged 55 and older are experiencing employment gains
> youth have the highest unemployment rate in 11 years
> almost three-quarters of Canada's unemployed are men
> unemployment rates for new immigrants are more than 3 times the rate for the Canadian-born
> pregnant women are encountering discriminatory layoffs as employers downsize

Responsive Labour Market Policies Support Worker Diversity

Currently numerous organizations in Ontario deliver specialized services to a variety of populations like women, immigrants, under-housed people and youth. These agencies have time-tested expertise supporting specific groups which could be lost if a homogenization of services was imposed through provincial policy. This is a concern raised by the Service Delivery Advisory Group to MTCU and leaders in the women's employment sector as Employment Ontario is implemented.
>more from SDAG
>more from the sector

Focus Group on Employment Ontario
ACTEW members are invited to participate in a teleconference focus group on the implementation of EO prior to the August 18 meeting of the Service Delivery Advisory Group with MTCU. Join us
Tues. August 11 at 11:00 a.m. EST or
Thurs. August 13 at 10:00 a.m. EST
to share your concerns and updates from your community. Contact Barbara at actew.org to register and learn more.

SDAG in May
If you haven't done so already, read ACTEW's report on the May SDAG meeting. Issues discussed included the role of specific client groups in MTCU's proposed service delivery model, the EO funding model, and MTCU's overview of the budget.
>more

Facts

• Older female workers are the only group that has added to their numbers since the start of the recession. (1)

• 15 to 24 year olds have an unemployment rate of 15.9%, the highest rate for youth in 11 years. (1)

• As of June 2009, 71% of those unemployed are men. (2)

• Recent immigrants face a 5.7% decrease in employment levels compared to a 1.6% decrease for the Canadian-born. (3)

• Since the downturn, the Ontario's Human Rights Legal Support Centre receives 10 to 15 calls a week from pregnant women anxious about their job security. (4)

(1) Statistics Canada, July 2009.

(2) Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, July 2009.

Questions

What can be learned from this recession about the labour market patterns and employment service needs of women and other worker populations?

Why are older women making employment gains during the downturn?

How can labour market development be flexible enough to support diverse workers through economic highs and lows?

view inFocus archives for analysis on other key issues

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