The labor market in Canada, 2000–2021

Abstract

The labor market performance has been good (but not excellent) since 2000, and Canada avoided the worst effects of the 2008 financial crisis. Since 2000, real earnings have grown at a modest pace and income inequality has remained relatively stable. Despite these positive outcomes, the share of earnings received by the top 1% and 10% substantially exceeds levels experienced earlier in the post-war period. The resource boom and the accompanying high value of the Canadian dollar brought about substantial reallocation of labor and other resources into resourcerich regions, which reversed post-boom. Covid-19 resulted in an unprecedented decline in employment and huge increases in unemployment and non-participation. Despite this, by December 2021 most labor market measures had returned to pre-pandemic levels. Looking ahead, a central challenge will be achieving "inclusive growth." ELEVATOR PITCHFrom 2000 to 2019, Canada's economy and labor market performed well. Important in this success was a strong resource boom from the late 1990s to 2014. After the boom the economy and labor market adjusted relatively smoothly, with labor and other resources exiting resourcerich regions and moving elsewhere. Strong growth in major export markets (Asia and the US) aided the adjustment. The Covid-19 downturn resulted in an unprecedented decline in employment, and a steep rise in unemployment and non-participation. Despite the severity of the Covid-19 shock, by December 2021 most key measures of labor market activity had returned to pre-pandemic levels.

2000-2020 Yılları Arasında G7 Ülkeleri ve Türkiye’nin İşgücü Piyasası Yapısının ve Aktif İşgücü Piyasası Politikalarının Karşılaştırmalı Analizi

“…Kadın ve erkek ücret farkları ise giderek azalmaya devam etmektedir. 1970 ile 2000 yılları arasında Kanada'da işgücü piyasası 'yüksek vasıflı/yüksek ücretli' işler ve 'düşük vasıflı/ düşük ücretli' işler olarak kutuplaşırken son zamanlarda bu kutuplaşmanın azaldığı görülmektedir (Riddell, 2018).…”