Spring 2008
Archived Content
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Work stress and job performance
Jungwee Park
Work stress is widely recognized as a major challenge to both the individual and the economy. It can come from many sources and affect people in different ways. As well, a variety of mitigating factors enter the equation. This article investigates levels, sources and effects of work stress for various socio-demographic and occupational groups.
Returning to the job after childbirth
Xuelin Zhang
A key family event, the birth of a child also has broader economic implications. If a mother stays home for an extended period after childbirth, her propensity to work in the future may be reduced since a long career interruption can affect job skills and chances of finding a new job. Although the tradition that women withdraw completely from the labour market upon giving birth has long gone, some mothers may still quit their jobs due to work schedule inflexibility, commuting difficulties, or lack of child care services. Although earnings drops were greater for the early 2000s cohorts of mothers than for the mid-1980s cohorts, the earnings recovery process was shorter.
Immigrants in the hinterlands
André Bernard
Where immigrants choose to settle appears to have an impact on their economic integration. It is much faster outside the large urban centres. In the larger urban centres, immigrants face a large initial income disadvantage and subsequent increases are not enough for them to achieve parity with other Canadians. Better economic integration of immigrants outside the larger urban centres is found even after taking into consideration differences in education, ability in an official language, admission class and country of origin.
The dynamics of housing affordability
Willa Rea, Jennifer Yuen, John Engeland and Roberto Figueroa
Since shelter is the biggest expenditure most households make, its affordability can have a big impact on their wellbeing. Measuring affordability involves comparing housing costs with a household's ability to meet them. Up to now, affordability has been measured at a particular time. New information enables a first-ever longitudinal review of housing affordability. This article examines the likelihood of spending 30% or more of household income on shelter, how often this occurs and whether it is occasional or persistent.
RRSP investments
Wendy Pyper
A wide variety of assets can be held in registered retirement savings plans—ranging from investments with predictable values, like guaranteed investment certificates, to those whose values vary, like stocks of individual companies. Returns to these investments, and therefore income levels in retirement, can vary dramatically, depending on the economic climate and the mix of investments. This article examines the characteristics of families with RRSPs and the allocation of assets within their RRSPs according to the level of predictability of the return on investment.
Earnings in the last decade
René Morissette
The pay structure for Canada's workers has changed over the past decade. Pay rates have risen in Alberta, especially since 2004. In Ontario and Quebec, earnings in manufacturing have not fallen substantially, despite sharp decreases in employment. Even after the turbulence of the 2001 to 2004 period, average earnings in the CT sector ended up rising 12% in real terms. Along with changes in trade patterns and technology use, demographic trends have also influenced labour market conditions and earnings. This article examines the evolution of earnings in Canada from 1997 to 2007.
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