CareerWise is always on the lookout for interesting, relevant reports to share with our readers. There was no shortage this year, with many focusing on the future of work and job skills. Below are some of the highlights.
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Accessibility and Universal Design in Career Transitions Programming and Services (NEADS)
While there has been progress in advancing inclusion for students with disabilities in Canadian colleges and universities, there is still work to be done to reduce structural barriers, discrimination and alienation from access to career education and work-integrated learning, according to the Final Report of a CERIC-funded project undertaken by the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS). The report, Accessibility and Universal Design in Career Transitions Programming and Services, finds that students with disabilities need greater opportunities to build their skills and career-related experience, whether through co-op placements, mentorship or volunteering.
Bad Fits: The Causes, Extent and Costs of Job Skills Mismatch in Canada (C.D. Howe Institute)
Large numbers of Canadian workers have skills mismatched to their jobs, and the problem looks set to worsen in the face of technological changes and aging demographics, according to this report. The report notes that about 13% of Canadian workers are either over- or under-skilled for their job in terms of literacy, numeracy and problem-solving, with about half fitting into each category.
Bridging the Gap: What Canadians Told Us About the Skills Revolution (RBC)
This follow-up report to RBC’s 2018 Humans Wanted report brings together the perspectives of educators, employers and youth on the skills revolution. Respondents emphasized the importance of skills training for Indigenous youth, digital skills development in traditional industries and more.
Empowering Workplaces Combat Emotional Tax for People of Colour in Canada (Catalyst)
In this study of over 700 Canadian women and men of colour, researchers found a worrisome story of emotional tax and consequent attrition. It found that in Canada, Black, East Asian and South Asian professionals who are highly on guard against experiences of bias at work have a dangerously high intent to quit, ranging from 50% to 69%.
From Data to Information: What LMI do career development practitioners need? (LMIC)
Most Canadians who seek assistance with career-related decisions already have some idea of what information they need, but they are having difficulty finding or understanding the
available data. Among this report’s findings:
- Only three of five career practitioners surveyed (60%) think labour market information is easy to understand.
- Fewer than half (43%) say they have received training to help them access or make sense of the data.
- To support clients, practitioners most frequently look for information about skill requirements (89%), certification or education (83%) and salary/wages (81%).
International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy (ICCDPP) – International Symposium 2019 Country and Organization Papers
Papers from attendees (including Canada) of the ICCDPP’s international symposium in Norway in June 2019, which explored the theme of “Leading career development services into an uncertain future: Ensuring access, integration and innovation.”
Redefining Access to Postsecondary Education (HEQCO)
A dramatic rise in enrolment at Ontario’s colleges and universities over the past two decades has done little to achieve equitable access for those students who have been traditionally underrepresented in higher education, argues this report by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO). Decades of research have shown that first-generation students, low-income students, Indigenous students and students with disabilities are less likely to enrol in post-secondary education, and less likely to attain a PSE credential than their peers.
Turn and Face the Strange: Changes impacting the future of employment in Canada (Brookfield Institute)
This report sets out to illuminate the diverse and intersecting trends driving change in Canada’s labour market. These trends have the potential to influence future skills demand in either positive or negative ways – and sometimes both.
What jobs are affected by AI? Better-paid, better-educated workers face the most exposure (Brookings)
This report establishes job exposure levels by analyzing the overlap between AI-related patents and job descriptions. In this way, the paper homes in on the impacts of AI specifically and does it by studying empirical statistical associations as opposed to expert forecasting.
Who Is Succeeding in the Canadian Labour Market? Predictors of Career Success for Skilled Immigrants (World Education Services)
WES conducted a survey-based study to examine predictors of skilled immigrants’ career success. It examined the demographic characteristics of skilled immigrants as well as their experience and education, and studied how these factors affect their labour market outcomes.
