The latest Education Indicators in Canada report from Statistics Canada shows that the national unemployment rate for those with university education continues to be lower than the remainder of the working population. Although unemployment caused by the Great Recession peaked in 2009 for most Canadians, the highest level of unemployment amongst the university-educated was in 2010.
Other wrinkles show up in the data for Canadians 25 to 29 years of age – the age cohort most recently to have completed their choice of post-secondary education. Albeit with higher unemployment rates, the national-level patterns are similar for 25 to 29 year-olds to those for the workforce as a whole, except for to those with college and trades credentials. After dipping downwards in 2010, their unemployment rate rose in 2011.
A look at the provincial level figures indicates that Quebec and Ontario contributed the most to that reversal. These are also provinces that experienced no improvement in employment prospects for university-educated 25-29 year-olds. The worsening of their unemployment rate is not as steep as it was in 2010, but there can be little consolation that the deterioration is only creeping rather than leaping.
Source: Statistics Canada, Education Indicators in Canada: Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program May 2012
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