Education

Rebuilding the economy will require a sustained, thoughtful approach. Key to that approach will be improving both the quantity and quality of work to repair fractures and avoid disruption from future waves of infection.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated developing geopolitical shifts that are unlikely to dissipate even after the pandemic's economic shock wanes. As a country long used to a more benign international environment, the future prosperity, security and well-being of Canadians will depend in no small measure on how well we navigate this unfamiliar world.

How can Canada use its highly skilled workforce as we transition to a knowledge economy? In their new report, AJ Tibando and Arvind Gupta explore Palette Inc., a not-for-profit platform that was created to upskill diverse and non-traditional workers in an ICT sector biased against hiring them. It looks like the Palette model is working.

As the world of work continuously shifts, modernizes and innovates, what moves can be made to get and stay ahead when it comes to making work more accessible? PPF co-hosted The Future of Accessible Work panel discussion with Microsoft Canada featuring national and international accessibility leaders & advocates. This speaker series engaged PPF members to learn about accessibility and inclusion straight from the experts. To keep the conversation going and share our lessons learned, we have encapsulated five significant takeaways from the discussion.

In 2012, Mowat established a research hub to provide evidence-based research and analysis on systemic issues facing the non-profit sector in Canada. In 2019, Mowat NFP joined the Public Policy Forum. In its final year of operation (2019-2020), Mowat NFP published four reports that focus on implementing the recommendations of the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector and exploring the future of finance and funding in the sector.

Canadians are among the best-educated people on the planet. But are they getting the education they need — particularly in the fields of social sciences and humanities — to maximize their employment prospects in today's fast-changing workplace? This report explores the level of the so-called "skills gap" and identifies issues and solutions to equip university graduates with the tools to transition from student to employee.

As technology changes the nature of work, Canadian companies must create a culture of continuous learning to ensure employees have the skills they need. Many companies have already begun, investing hundreds of millions of dollars in upskilling and reskilling programs to address the skills gap. In latest Skills Next report, Wendy Cukier provides an overview of how companies including AT&T, Scotiabank, TD Bank, Accenture and Walmart are retraining their workforces. Further, it considers the role of government investment, public-private partnerships, and corporate social responsibility in upskilling and reskilling.

While people with disabilities can achieve socially integrated, financially independent lives through secure, well-paid employment, they are often trapped in low-skill jobs at high risk of automation. Emile Tompa, Daniel Samosh and Normand Boucher underscore the importance of training opportunities that are well aligned with the skills likely to be in high demand in future.

“Foreign-sounding names” are 20 to 40 per cent less likely to get a call-back for a job interview, depending on company size. Challenges like these are faced by immigrants, racialized people, and especially women in these two groups – seemingly regardless of the job candidate’s skills. Eddy Ng and Suzanne Gagnon shine a light on some of the apparent contradictions in Canadian hiring behaviour, and bring to the light some promising solutions found in the labour-market research in this fifth Skills Next report.

Digital skills and digital careers are part of every industry’s future. Yet employers say they can't find workers with the information and communication technology (ICT) skills they need. In this report, Shortt, Robson and Sabat explain how Canada doesn't really have system for figuring out where digital technology jobs end and regular jobs begin – and explore how a shared definitions of digital skills and careers will be the gateway for policymakers and employers to fill any gaps.

Technology is being used to change power balances in workplaces and to perpetuate long-standing precarious employment relationships, Jim Stanford argues. But the exploitative practices of the gig economy reflect deliberate choices, rather than the inevitable onward march of technology, and creating better jobs also lies within our power.

In a world of work increasingly driven by the supply and demand of skills rather than the qualifications of graduates, employers have trouble finding the workers they need and workers struggle to keep up with changing demands. Emna Braham and Steven Tobin explain how better and more accessible labour market information lies at the heart of clarifying the skills and training needs of today and tomorrow.

In our first Skills Next report, we look at top research and skills training programs that are succeeding internationally, and highlight for Canadian policymakers key features driving success. Authors Sunil Johal and Michael Urban distill key lessons for Canada to ensure workers are equipped with the skills they need to thrive in tomorrow’s economy, whatever shape it takes.

The economic fortunes of rural Canada depend on attracting human capital, and while international students are highly skilled & qualified candidates for settlement, they don't often stick around. PPF Fellow Sean Speer identifies lessons from two promising programs in Atlantic Canada which seem to be convincing students to settle, against the odds.

Over the past year, PPF's Prime Ministers of Canada Fellow, Sean Speer has been exploring urban and rural differences in Canada and how policymakers, business and community leaders, and the public can work to bridge the growing cultural, political and socio-economic characteristics of the urban-rural divide.