The qualitative dimensions of the organization of work, the wage structure, and personnel management practices send signals to students, education and training facilities, counsellors, and labour market entrants. The information articulated by employers is often the basis upon which an individual makes career path decisions. We believe that it is important to address these qualitative dimensions in this report.

Employability includes several features relevant to transitions into employment.

• It pertains to all types of transitions: from school to work and later entry or reentry into the labour force.
• It pertains to every group in society, in particular the equity groups.
• It refers to the widest range of skills (from literacy and numeracy to the development of new skills through lifelong learning) and, in that sense, is constantly changing.
• It is at stake in the competition for scarce jobs; the fewer jobs available, the fiercer the competition.

To understand the context in which transitions into employment occur in Canada (the subject of chapter 2), it is relevant to note that there are two competing views on how our economy works:

• The "pure market" view emphasizes competition among fundamentally equal individuals. Applied to the labour market, this view ignores factors such as gender, race, disability, etc.
• The "community" view embodies the notion of a diverse population and recognizes that this is a core consideration in policy development, not an ad hoc, add-on factor

An ideal world always draws on both views. We have identified a unique Canadian situation in which there is a major gap between stated intentions and reality. Diversity is a fundamental -- often highlighted -- characteristic of Canadian society. However, employers, governments, and other institutions tend to act according to "pure market" rules, without recognizing this diversity.