The State of Canada's Unemployed - Third Annual National Survey
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 13, 2016) -
Express Employment Professionals today released the third annual State of the Unemployed national survey which shows Canada's unemployed are increasingly stuck - with difficulty getting interviews and work. Canada's unemployed are now out of work for an average of 16 months, compared to 14 months in 2015. Nearly half (44 per cent) have not had a full time job in more than a year.
The survey results confirm that a significant number of unemployed Canadians have completely given up looking for a job. It also confirms that minimum wage may not be an attractive solution. Additionally, a majority of unemployed university graduates say they wish they had gone to vocational school.
The survey of 1,892 Canadians from May 5 to May 31, 2016, was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals.
More than half of the unemployed (54 per cent) say they believe the country is going in the wrong direction. They believe the election of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will either have no impact or be slightly positive, while they generally believe provincial governments have little impact. The unemployed are most pessimistic about the provincial government in Alberta.
"The annual State of the Unemployed in Canada survey is unique in that it provides Canadian employers and policy makers with critical insight into how we can get people back into the workforce. With 37 franchises across Canada, Express wants to understand the challenges unemployed Canadians face and what would inspire and incentivize them to re-join the workforce," said Bob Funk CEO of Express Employment Professionals. "This year's poll confirms that the unemployed in Canada are increasingly stuck. They are having difficulty securing a job and the challenge is getting harder. We need businesses and labour joining together to teach more skills to workers, especially to young people. There are high-paying trade jobs available, but there are not enough people with the skills needed."
Highlights of the poll:
Given Up
Lack of Interviews
Job Search Effort Level
Vocational Skills
Minimum Wage is Not a Viable Solution for the Unemployed in Canada
System Benefits the Rich
View on the Impact of Government Policies Creating Jobs
Prime Minister Trudeau
Alberta government policies
Saskatchewan government policies
Ontario government policies
BC government policies
Employment Insurance Remains Popular
The Unemployed in Canada - Who They Are
According to the survey, 55 per cent of the unemployed are men; 45 per cent are women.
The largest group of the unemployed is the youngest age group:
The majority lack a university degree:
According to Statistics Canada, there are approximately 1.4 million unemployed Canadians. The total labour force was estimated to be 19.4 million. The labour force participation rate, or those actively engaged in the labour market, continues to hover around 66 per cent.
This study was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals and included 1,892 Canadian adults age 18 or older who are unemployed but capable of working, whether or not they receive employment insurance. Excluded are those who are currently retired, choose to stay at home or are unable to work due to long-term disability.
Results were weighted as needed for age by gender, education, race/ethnicity, region and household income. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. Totals may not equal the sum of their individual components due to rounding. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full methodology is available.
Download an infographic for the release.
Survey Methodology
If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bob Funk to discuss this topic, please contact Kellie Major at (613) 222-7488.
About Robert A. Funk
Robert A. "Bob" Funk is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the international staffing company has franchises in the U.S., Canada and South Africa. Under his leadership, Express has put more than 6 million people to work worldwide. Funk served as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and was also the Chairman of the Conference of Chairmen of the Federal Reserve.
About Express Employment Professionals and Express in Canada
Express Employment Professionals puts people to work. It generated $3.02 billion in sales and employed a record 500,002 people in 2015. Its long-term goal is to put a million people to work annually. Express launched in Canada in July 1996, with a franchise in London, Ontario, and since then, has expanded and grown across Canada significantly. There are currently 37 Express franchises in Canada - six in British Columbia, five in Alberta, two in Saskatchewan, 23 in Ontario and one in Nova Scotia.
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