Data hub group selection analysis: Women
1 Group definition
According to the 2016 Census, women comprise around 50.9% of Canada’s population, while the share of women in the labour force is 47.4%, as per Statistics Canada.
2 Selection criteria data and analysis
2.1 Labour market representation
Three key metrics for evaluating the representation of women–or any group–in the labour market are the unemployment, employment, and labour force participation rates.
Compared to other groups, the unemployment, employment and participation rates of women have not undergone any sharp changes since 2007. Their unemployment rate is the lowest of all groups compared in this analysis. Their employment rate is higher than that of aboriginal people and youth, but it is lower than that of the total population.
The participation rate of women is one of the lowest of all groups. Historically, according to Statistics Canada, there has been a large gap between the participation rates of men and women due to social norms surrounding gender roles. Though women’s participation rate has grown significantly since the 1950s, the gap still remains, mostly because the growth in their participation rate has slowed since the 1990s.
2.2 COVID-19 impact
One way to measure the impact of COVID-19 is to examine the average monthly employment loss from February through June. As we can see from the table, immigrants, who landed five or less years earlier, were the hardest hit during the pandemic, suffering an average monthly employment loss of 5%, followed by females and youth aged 15 to 24, who experienced an average monthly job loss of 2% and 1%, respectively.
| demographic | Average month-over-month growth (%) |
|---|---|
| 15 to 24 years | -1 |
| Females | -2 |
| Total population | -3 |
| Immigrants, landed 5 or less years earlier | -5 |
As is clear from the plot below, among all the groups, youth aged 15 to 24 experienced the highest volatility in monthly employment from February through July–a fact that the table on average monthly employment does not capture. Monthly employment for females was the second-most volatile of all groups, followed by immigrants, landed five or less years earlier, whereas according to the table, this group experienced the highest average monthly employment loss. Monthly employment for the total population was the least volatile of all groups.
2.3 Accessibility of LMI
Another factor to consider is the group’s relationship to LMI. Specifically, we want to know their experiences locating and interpreting LMI. For example, among the women surveyed, 49% reported difficulty finding this information, which is on par with the general population of Canadians surveyed. And 36% of the women surveyed said the information available is difficult to understand, similar to the general population, differing only by one percentage point.
2.4 Use and impact of LMI
It is also important to consider the impact that LMI will have on women. Knowing, therefore, whether they use LMI and the impact it has had on their previous job-related decisions can be beneficial. Among the women surveyed, 83% said this information had an impact on their decision making, which is on par with the general population. And 49% of the women reported using LMI, similar to the general population of Canadians surveyed, differing only by one percentage point.
2.5 Dedicated career practitioners
There are no dedicated career services targeting this group.
2.6 LMIC’s pre-existing knowledge base
LMIC has published several blogs, analyzing and commenting on the labour market outcomes of women. You can find links to some of these here: