Canada – Better Labour Market Information are needed says the Auditor-General

The Auditor-General is weighing into the heated debate over job vacancy data, calling on Statistics Canada to provide more detailed information as to exactly where shortages are occurring and for precisely what jobs and skills. 

Auditor-General Michael Ferguson’s Spring 2014 report, released Tuesday, includes a largely positive report on the performance of Statistics Canada, but points out more could be done to track job vacancies. Statistics Canada only resumed tracking job vacancies in 2011 by adding two new questions to its business Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. The questions lead to monthly data on job vacancies by types of workplace and for each province.

However key federal programs – including the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and Employment Insurance – are based in part on responding to the local labour market and the Auditor-General found that level of detail is lacking in what Statistics Canada produces each month.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Canada needs better jobs data, Auditor-General says – The Globe and Mail.

Related articles

• Canada / Is the widespread assumption that Canada is suffering from a growing shortage of labour true?
• Canada – 272,300 long-term unemployed last year: a problem for several reasons
• Unemployed in Canada ? Get a job fast says Macleans (jobmarketmonitor.com)
• Canada / Skills gap top barrier to competitiveness says Chamber of Commerce