In Canada, about 2.5 million people (approximately 15 per cent of the labour force) are classified as "self-employed." Nova Scotia has about 31,000 (12 per cent.) Trend lines show the proportion of such workers has risen steadily in the past three decades, with some spikes in bad economic times.
Employment and labour
VANCOUVER — Despite solid economic growth and low unemployment rates, BC is home to a growing number of casual workers who struggle to achieve economic security, according to a new study by two University of Northern BC professors.
Part I of this essay provided a brief overview of the crisis in Canada’s forestry sector. Part II focuses on finding a way forward, briefly outlining directions and possibilities. This is by no means an exhaustive list of options, but rather a selective review of research, experience, policies and ideas stemming from a variety of sources.
The May release of the 2006 Census data on earnings and incomes sparked a heated debate about inequality in Canada. Media commentators argued whether it was more informative to consider individual or families’ incomes, while others tried to convince us that market earnings are irrelevant since our system of taxes and transfers smoothes out some of the earnings inequality.
Especially in the spring and summer, British Columbians enjoy fruits and vegetables grown in the Fraser Valley. But consumers may know little about the people who cultivate and harvest the food we eat. Ironically, at a time of general labour shortages, the BC government has rolled back employment protections for farmworkers and tolerated deplorable working and living conditions in our backyard.
How has this happened in “the best place on earth,” as the government describes the province?
The results of the 2006 Census on income were recently published and produced stark headlines about enormous wage declines in Canada over the past 25 years. The income gap between rich and poor is widening, immigrant incomes are plummeting and young people entering the labour market are earning less than their parents a generation ago.
(Vancouver) A new study of farm work in BC reveals systematic violations of employment standards and health and safety regulations, poor and often dangerous working conditions, and dismal enforcement by government agencies. The study’s authors propose comprehensive policy changes that would ensure farmworkers — most of whom are immigrants and temporary migrants — are no longer relegated to second-class status.