Hennessy’s Index: A number is never just a number

Hennessy's Index

Hennessy’s Indexis a monthly listing of numbers, written by the CCPA’s Trish Hennessy, about Canada and its place in the world. Scroll down for a PDF version.  For other months, visit: http://policyalternatives.ca/index

  • 32

    Percentage of two-parent families working full-time, year-round in 2005, more than double what it was in 1980 (15%). (Source)

  • 51

    Percentage of single mothers working full-time, year-round in 2005, up from 43% in 1980. (Source)

  • 62.6

    Percentage of women in Canada who had paid employment in 2009, up from 53.8 per cent in 1984. (Source p. 262)

  • 72

    Percentage of men in Canada who had paid employment in 2009, down from 76.7 per cent in 1984. (Source p. 262)

  • 2.3

    Percentage increase in part-time jobs from 2008 to 2009, countering the 2.5 per cent loss in full-time jobs. (Source p. 267)

  • 37.1

    Percentage of Canadians aged 25-44 who said working part-time in 2009 wasn’t their choice – there was no full-time work available. Compared to 27.7 per cent of workers over 45. (Source p. 267)

  • 2.7 million

    Number of self-employed workers in Canada in 2009, up dramatically from 1.3 million in 1979 (Source p. 285)

  • 2.3 million

    Number of full-time workers in Canada who had rotating shifts or irregular schedules in 2005. (Source)

  • 29

    Percentage of shift workers who expressed somewhat more dissatisfaction with their work-life balance in 2005. (Source)

  • 35.5

    Number of hours worked, on average, in Quebec each week in 2006 – the shortest average work week in Canada. (Source)

  • 38.9

    Number of hours worked, on average, in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2006 – the highest average work week in Canada. (Source)

  • 50

    Average number of hours Canadian immigrants with more than one job worked in 2008 – 2.3 hours per week more than Canadian-born multiple-job holders. (Source)