Participation in Workplace Employer-Sponsored Training in Canada: Role of Firm Characteristics and Worker Attributes

Abstract

In this work, we study the role of firm characteristics and worker attributes in determining participation in workplace employer‐sponsored training in Canada using the Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) of Statistics Canada. We attempt to answer the following questions using the rich information of firms that are available in WES data: Does firms' provision of workplace training encourage workers' participation in Canada? How do changes in market competition, organizational changes, and technological innovation affect workers' participation in workplace training in Canada? We find that firms' training provision significantly affects workers' participation in Canada. We also find that increased international competition, organizational changes, and technological innovation are significantly correlated with workers' training participation at workplaces. We note that workers in some sectors and in smaller firms have lower workplace training incidence and older, part‐time, production and marketing/sales workers and workers with preschool children participate less in workplace training. (JEL J080, J240, J290)

Declining versus participating in employer-supported training in Canada*

“…Similar to elsewhere, Canadian females tend to have relatively poor working conditions compared with their male counterparts (Cranford et al ., 2003; Zeytinoglu et al ., 2003), including lower access to employer‐supported training (Knoke & Ishio, 1998; Lowe & Krahn, 1995). Admittedly, a few studies (such as Turcotte et al ., 2003; Xu & Lin, 2007) suggest that females have similar or even slightly better access to training than males. In terms of age, studies consistently show that older workers participate less in training (see, e.g., Peters, 2004; Xu & Lin, 2007).…”

“…Also, there appears to be a trend among female workers where those with dependent children received more training during the 1990s, but that gap has now either disappeared or reversed compared with those without dependent children (see Hurst, 2008). Those with significant family responsibilities, such as having dependent children, are thought to face more barriers to training relative to others (see Chaykowski, 2005; Vallée, 2005; Xu & Lin, 2007), and females continue to bear the bulk of family duties in Canada. However, Underhill (2006) found an insignificant association between training participation and marital status per se.…”

“…This does not mean, however, that workers with dependent children were necessarily denied access to training. Rather, individuals with more responsibilities outside of work potentially face more difficulty being able to accept offered training, especially if that training is not scheduled during normal business hours and at the normal business location (see Underhill, 2006; Xu & Lin, 2007).…”

“…Admittedly, a few studies (such as Turcotte et al, 2003;Xu & Lin, 2007) suggest that females have similar or even slightly better access to training than males. In terms of age, studies consistently show that older workers participate less in training (see, e.g., Peters, 2004;Xu & Lin, 2007). That said, Hurst (2008) found that younger workers had higher participation rates than those 'in the middle', whereas others such as Turcotte et al (2003) found that younger and middle-aged workers had essentially the same training participation rates, at a slightly higher level than older workers.…”

Workers’ Participation in Training and Import Competition: Evidence from the USA

“…Using the Workplace and Employee Survey (WES), Zeytinoglu and Cooke () find that workers in firms implementing information technology and those facing competition from foreign firms are more likely to train. Xu and Lin () also employ the WES data and report a positive impact between international competition and participation in employer‐provided training, in addition to a positive link between technological innovation and training incidence. It should be noted that the foreign competition variables used in these studies are developed from self‐reported measures of the perceived degree of foreign competition faced by the firm.…”