Labour Policy

Comparing Government and Private Sector Compensation in Ontario, 2018

— Oct 24, 2018

Comparing Government and Private Sector Compensation in Ontario finds that public-sector employees in Ontario—including municipal, provincial and federal government workers—received 10.6 per cent higher wages on average than comparable workers in the private sector last year, and also enjoyed more generous pensions, earlier retirement, more personal leave and greater job security.

Increasing the Minimum Wage in Alberta: A Flawed Anti-Poverty Policy

— Sep 27, 2018

Increasing the Minimum Wage in Alberta: A Flawed Anti-Poverty Policy finds that raising Alberta’s minimum wage will do little to reduce poverty because 92 per cent of minimum-wage earners in the province don’t live in low-income households. In fact, half of the province’s minimum-wage earners are under the age of 24, almost all of whom live with their parents.

The Illusion of Alberta’s Jobs Recovery: Government vs. Private Sector Employment

— Aug 30, 2018

The Illusion of Alberta’s Jobs Recovery: Government vs. Private Sector Employment finds that Alberta’s employment growth over the past four years is being driven by nearly 79,000 new government jobs, while the private sector has shed more than 46,000 jobs over the same period. In fact, from July 2014 to May 2018, the government sector’s share of total employment (excluding the self-employed) increased from 19.5 per cent to 23.2 per cent—the highest it’s been since 1994.

Measuring Labour Markets in Canada and the United States: 2018 Edition

— Aug 30, 2018

Measuring Labour Markets in Canada and the United States, 2018 finds that compared to most U.S. states, Canadian provinces fare poorly on key labour indicators including private-sector job growth and employment rates. Overall, all 10 Canadian provinces rank in the bottom half of the 60 jurisdictions with British Columbia (35th) and Saskatchewan (41st) the highest ranked Canadian provinces. North Dakota ranked first overall in the study.

Comparing Government and Private Sector Compensation in Alberta, 2018

— Aug 8, 2018

Comparing Government and Private Sector Compensation in Alberta finds that public-sector employees in Alberta—including municipal, provincial and federal government workers—received 9.6 per cent higher wages on average than comparable workers in the private sector last year, and also enjoyed more generous pensions, earlier retirement, more personal leave and greater job security.

Comparing Government and Private Sector Compensation in British Columbia, 2018

— Jul 26, 2018

Comparing Government and Private Sector Compensation in British Columbia finds that public-sector employees in B.C.—including municipal, provincial and federal government workers—received 7.5 per cent higher wages on average than comparable workers in the private sector last year, and also enjoyed more generous pensions, earlier retirement, more personal leave and greater job security.

Increasing the Minimum Wage in Ontario: A Flawed Anti-Poverty Policy

— Jun 19, 2018

Increasing the Minimum Wage in Ontario: A Flawed Anti-Poverty Policy finds that raising the minimum wage would do little to reduce poverty in Ontario because the vast majority of minimum-wage earners don’t live in low-income households. In fact, nearly 60 per cent of all minimum-wage earners in the province in 2017 were teenagers or young adults aged 15 to 24, almost all of whom (86.3 per cent) lived with their parents or other relatives.