The ins and outs of unemployment in Canada, 1976–2008

Abstract

This paper studies the flows into and out of unemployment in Canada at an aggregate and a number of disaggregated levels.

Time Variation in the Dynamics of Worker Flows: Evidence From North America and Europe

“…This increase in the rate at which the unemployed find jobs is equivalent to a decrease in unemployment duration, which is also seen in Macklem and Barillas (). However, as noted in Campolieti (), the reasons for this increase in the job‐finding rate from unemployment are unclear.…”

“…Campolieti () noted that there is a spike in the separation hazard around 1997 and examined some other data sources for similar patterns. Campolieti () concluded that the spike in the separation hazard was most likely related to a change in the wording of the temporary layoff question that was phased in between September 1996 and January 1997 (Sunter et al ., ) that would classify more individuals as unemployed in the Canadian Labour Force Survey that occurred around this time, since the spike is not present in other data. Campolieti () also observed an increase in the Canadian job‐finding hazard around 1997.…”

“…() computed their hazard rate series beginning in 1948, but the vacancy series in Barnichon () begins in 1951, so our US sample period includes 1951:Q1–2009:Q4. While Campolieti () computed hazard rate series for Canada from 1976:Q1 to 2008:Q4, the help‐wanted index for Canada begins in 1981:Q1 and ends in 2003:Q1, because Statistics Canada terminated the help‐wanted index for Canada in April 2003. The hazard rate series in Petrongolo and Pissarides () are available for Spain from 1987:Q3 to 2006:Q3, for France from 1991:Q1 to 2007:Q2 and for the UK from 1983:Q3 to 2007:Q2.…”

The risk and cost of job loss in Canada, 1978–2008

“…As mentioned above, Brochu (2009) finds that job stability rose in Canada between the late 1980s and the mid 1990s and remained stable until 2007. Gray and Finnie (2009) combine data from the Longitudinal Administrative Databank (LAD) and the Status Vector and Record of Employment File of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada to document the receipt of income by particular income source between four years before displacement and five years after displacement for workers aged 45 to 64 who were laid off between 1996and 2002. Campolieti (2011 uses LFS data and examines flows into and out of unemployment over the period .…”

Minimum Wage Effects on Permanent Versus Temporary Minimum Wage Employment

“…7 7 Unlike the United States, Canada did not have a recession in 2001 (Campolieti 2011), and the recession following the financial crisis that began in the fourth quarter of 2008 was not as severe as the U.S. Great Recession (Campolieti 2012; Cross 2011). …”