Michel Cournoyer

Gender Gaps in Career Advice – Professionals are more than twice as likely to provide information on work/ life balance issues to female students than to male students

College students often seek
career advice from their social and professional networks, and the information that students receive may shape their perceptions of careers
and infuence their decision making. As of yet, there is little evidence on whether male and female students have access to the same information about careers. In our paper, we investigate whether student … Continue reading →

COVID-19, Immigrants and Unemployment in US -The gap has closedr

As businesses across the United States return to near-normal operations, public attention has shifted to reports of labor shortages and rising prices. But even as hiring picks up in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, the labor market is not fully healed. Some 9.5 million U.S. workers were unemployed in June 2021, compared with 5.7 … Continue reading →

Skills – What are they ? (video)

STEM Workers and Productivity in Belgium – The gains from increasing their share by 10 percentage points is linked with an increase in productivity of around 20%

Few would argue that they would rather “work harder” than “work smarter”. Yet, the indicator that measures smart working – productivity – shows at best sluggish growth since the financial crisis. Belgium for instance has experienced little productivity growth in recent years and has only increased its labour productivity by ~5% over the decade since … Continue reading →

Midcareer Workers (45-60) – Facing stark unemployment challenges

Today, the global employment nonprofit organisation Generation publishes Meeting The World’s Midcareer Challenge, a research report based on a survey of 3,800 employed and unemployed people, and 1,404 hiring managers to reveal global employment trends. The report sheds light on the reality of the jobs market for those aged 45-60 in seven countries — Brazil, … Continue reading →

COVID et Jeunes au Canada – Les taux d’emploi ont diminué considérablement de 2019 à 2020

Alors que la pandémie de COVID-19 perturbait le marché du travail canadien, les taux d’emploi des jeunes hommes et jeunes femmes ont diminué considérablement de 2019 à 2020, davantage que ceux des Canadiens plus âgés. Les jeunes femmes qui n’étaient pas aux études à temps plein ont vu leur taux d’emploi diminuer d’environ 8 points de pourcentage, passant de 78,8 % en 2019 à 71,0 % en 2020. … Continue reading →

Federal Minimum Wage in US – It has lost 21% of its value since Congress last raised it

Saturday marks 12 years since the last federal minimum wage increase on July 24, 2009, the longest period in U.S. history without an increase. In the meantime, rising costs of living have diminished the purchasing power of a minimum wage paycheck. A worker paid the federal minimum of $7.25 today effectively earns 21% less than … Continue reading →

Competences of Nurse Refugees Without Documentation – An Internationally Recognized Frameworks

Individuals seeking refuge in host countries is a global reality. Some of these individuals are qualified nurses. If, and when, the documents pertaining to a nurse qualification are not presented to the respective authorities of a host country, the challenges for these qualified nurses to secure registration and employment as nurses are numerous and often … Continue reading →

Aerospace Workforce in Australia – Two thirds of aviation employers had experienced skills shortages in the previous 12 months

The aerospace industry can be broken down into three sub-sectors: • Aircraft and aircraft parts manufacturing • Civilian aircraft and component repair and maintenance • Military aircraft repair and maintenance The aviation industry includes aircraft manufacturing and repair services, as well as a range of professional, scientific, and technical services for the aviation, defence and … Continue reading →

Education of Immigrants in EU – One third have a degree

An important dimension of migrant integration into host societies is the level of educational attainment. In 2020, just over one third (35.6%) adult migrants (aged 25-54) who were born in another EU Member State had a tertiary level of education. This rate was lower for migrants who were born outside the EU (29.6%). By contrast, … Continue reading →

Teleworking and Labour Laws in Canada – The emphasis should be on removing barriers that inhibit working from home

Many of our labour laws and regulations were established in an earlier era when the economy was vastly different than it is today. Just as technological change has made many of our production procedures and skills obsolete, it is not surprising that many of our labour policies would be obsolete. And just as there is … Continue reading →

Higher Technical Education in UK – A relatively low proportion of the workforce with higher technical skills and qualifications

This research, commissioned by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, explores how a higher technical education offer with a focus on industry-specific skills, could help to address the needs of local people, local businesses and the local economy. Compared with its international competitors, the UK has a relatively low proportion of the workforce with higher technical skills … Continue reading →

Middle Class in Canada – The policy changes required

Since 1976, however, the growth in average real weekly earnings has slowed dramatically, and now would take more than 400 years to double. Because housing prices are imperfectly reflected in the Consumer Price Index this understates the stagnation of wages relative to the most significant cost for the Canadian dream. In 1976 the average price … Continue reading →

Post-Pandemic Labour Shortages in Canada – Increase in voluntary job turnover will exacerbate them

As shortages grow, so will the urgency for Canada to turn to new and under-utilized sources of labour force growth, including immigration, women, and visible minorities. However, these will not provide much relief in the short-run. While the government has lifted the number of new permanent residents to pre-pandemic levels, most of this only reflects a change of … Continue reading →

Covid and Business Cycle Dating in US – A trough in monthly economic activity occurred in the US economy in April 2020 says NBER’s Committee

The Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research maintains a chronology of the peaks and troughs of US business cycles. The committee has determined that a trough in monthly economic activity occurred in the US economy in April 2020. The previous peak in economic activity occurred in February 2020. The recession … Continue reading →