Employment and labour

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This spring, Global Affairs Canada sought advice on the development of a reciprocal procurement policy that would “reduce access to Canadian federal procurement opportunities for foreign suppliers, goods, and services from countries that do not provide a comparable level of access to Canadian suppliers.” The department frames the policy as a means of ensuring fairness and mutual benefit in Canada’s international trade relationships. 
This Labour Market Update looks at the experiences of female workers over the last two years, from 2019 to 2021. The analysis reveals that Canada’s economic recovery has proven to be as unequal as the initial downturn. It draws on the annual and monthly Labour Force Survey and other related sources of information, highlighting differences between women and men as well as between different groups of women.
OTTAWA—Women’s wages are not keeping pace with surging inflation overall, according to one key finding from a new report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). 
Using cost-of-living data unique to both cities, such as rental prices, childcare costs, and transportation fees, we calculate that a family of four would require a living wage of $16.23 per hour for Regina and $16.89 per hour for Saskatoon in order to maintain a decent standard of living in each respective city. The living wage reflects what people need to support their families based on the actual costs of living in a specific community.
REGINA - The Saskatchewan Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives calculates that a family of four would require a living wage of $16.23 per hour for Regina and $16.89 per hour for Saskatoon in order to maintain a decent standard of living in each respective city. The living wage reflects what people need to support their families based on the actual costs of living in a specific community.
Previously published in the Winnipeg Free Press April 8, 2022
This report looks at real wage growth and rising inflation over the past two years.  The study finds that wages for a majority of Canadian workers has not increased at the same rate as inflation. In particular, many public sector workers who have faced salary freezes from provincial governments are falling behind. Other sectors, such as information, culture and recreation, saw wage growth above inflation levels as many workers moved toward working from home.
OTTAWA—Nearly two-thirds of Canadian workers’ wages are falling behind rising inflation, leaving them increasingly in a pressure cooker situation, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). The report, Pressure Cooker: Declining real wages and rising inflation in Canada during the pandemic, 2020-2022, examines wages across all industries and finds 64 per cent of Canadian workers have experienced real wage losses over the past two years, after adjusting for inflation. 
Ce rapport décrit la composition de la population active au salaire minimum et explique en quoi la hausse du salaire minimum dans l'Ontario en 2018 a affecté l’écart salarial racial des hommes et des femmes qui travaillent. Lorsque le salaire minimum de 14 $ l'heure a été introduit, les lobbyistes du monde des affaires ont fait de sombres prédictions. En fait, la hausse des salaires en Ontario a été loin d’être une « tueuse d’emplois » : l’emploi total a affiché une croissance de 1,7 % en 2018 et de 2,8 % en 2019.
This report examines the impact of increasing Ontario's minimum wage to $14 per hour in 2018.  Despite dire predictions that increasing minimum wage would eliminate jobs, employment actually increased in the period after the change. The study, funded by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF), also found racialized workers, especially women, benefitted from the minmum wage increase, largely due to the gendered and racialized nature of low-wage work. Employment in almost all industries with lower-than-average wages increased.