Trends in employment by occupation

The Canadian economy of the 1990s will be characterized by a movement toward jobs demanding higher levels of education and training. Projections and analyses of employment by occupation are not common in this country. The only projections available are those generated by HRD's Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS). HRD's projections attempt to relate occupations to the amount of education and training they require. They take into account not only the level of formal education attained, but also training in the workforce.

HRD's most recent projections of employment by occupation show that, although in 1986, 23% of the labour force were in jobs requiring more than 16 years of education or training, 48.5% of new jobs created in the 1990s are expected to require that level of education or training. Conversely, 55% of the 1986 labour force had 12 years or less of education or training (high-school level), and only 36% of new jobs in the 1990s are expected to demand such a minimal level. Such projections suggest a need to emphasize the role of education and training to meet the demand for skills and knowledge by the labour market. However, in the current labour market situation, which is likely to prevail in the foreseeable future, one may question the rationale of too much education for jobs that do not exist.