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Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

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VI. Education

 

Future Watch

The surge in university enrolment following the 1990–91 recession signals a trend that will increase the share of highly educated workers in the labour force.

Source: The Conference Board of Canada, Canadian Outlook Long-Term Economic Forecast: 2009(Ottawa: The Conference Board of Canada, June 2009).


Canada has the highest proportion of working-age people15 with tertiary education among all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. This is partly due to school attendance rates, which have been rising since the mid-1990s, as well as to the recent entrance into the labour market of a youth cohort that has higher education attainment rates than previous cohorts.16 The proportion of the population aged 15 years and over with a post-secondary certificate or diploma, or a university degree, has increased steadily from 32.7% in 1990/91 to 50.5% in 2008/09.


Chart 12 - Employment Growth, by Educational Attainment - see table below

The Canadian economy has fostered employment growth for workers of all education levels, but individuals with higher education levels have generally found greater success in the labour market. Employment growth among those with a university degree was strong in 2008/09, at 4.3%, compared with 2.6% in 2007/08 (see Chart 12). With a growth rate of 0.3% in 2008/09, people with a post-secondary certificate or diploma had a lower employment growth rate than did individuals with a university degree, and posted their lowest growth rate since 1991/92. As well, employment decreased by 1.7% among high school graduates. That made 2008/09 the first year of decline in the last 11 years for this group. In contrast, individuals with some post-secondary education17 saw a 3.0% increase in employment. Employment declined by 2.5% for those who did not finish high school.

Chart 12 - Employment Growth, by Educational Attainment
Education Employment Growth
2007/08 2008/09
Less Than High School -2.46% -2.50%
High School Graduate 0.99% -1.67%
Some Post-Secondary
 6.30% 3.02%
Post-Secondary Certificate or Diploma 3.53% 0.31%
University Degree 2.64% 4.26%

The unemployment rate among individuals with a university degree was 4.3% in 2008/09, compared with 5.3% among those with a post-secondary certificate or diploma, and 7.2% among those with a high school diploma. The unemployment rate was 7.5% for those who had some post-secondary education and 12.9% for those who did not complete high school. All five groups recorded an increase in their unemployment rate in 2008/09 for the first time since 2001/02.

15 The working-age population is defined as persons aged 25 to 64.

16 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Education at a Glance 2009 (Paris: OECD, September 2009)

17 Some post-secondary is defined as those who worked toward, but did not complete, a degree, certificate (including a trade certificate) or diploma from an educational institution, including a university, beyond the secondary level.

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Date Modified:
2011-10-17