Grads in Canada – The proportion saying they were very well prepared for their jobs is higher among those who completed their studies before 2000 than among more recent ones

The 2020 Survey on Employment and Skills explores the perspectives and experiences of Canadians relating to education, skills and employment, including perceptions of job security, the impact of technological change, and the value of different forms of training.

Conducted by the Environics Institute for Survey Research, in partnership with the Future Skills Centre and the Diversity Institute at Ryerson University, the survey of 5,000 Canadians 18 years and older in all jurisdictions across Canada was conducted between February 28 and April 4, 2020.

The survey began prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, at a time of comparatively low unemployment but growing concern about the changing nature of work, including technology-driven disruptions, increasing insecurity and shifting skills requirements. The survey finds that Canadians tend to have a positive assessment of both the impact of technological change and of the value of the post-secondary education and skills training that they have received. At the same time, many are also concerned about job security for themselves or their family, and have either recently experienced unemployment or know someone close to them who has.

Key Findings

1) A majority of college and university graduates in all major fields of study say that their programs prepared them very or somewhat well for the jobs that they have worked in after graduation. However, the proportion of graduates saying they were very well prepared for their jobs is higher among those who completed their studies before 2000 than among more recent graduates.

2) A majority say the lack of the required education or training for unemployed workers is currently an important cause of unemployment in Canada. However, the proportion holding this view has not changed over time.

3) Entrepreneurship seems to be an occupation immigrants are attracted to and in which they succeed at a higher rate – yet that isn’t a solution for everyone.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story @ Adapting to the Changing World of Work | Future Skills Centre • Centre des Compétences futures