Unemployment Rate - represents the number of unemployed persons expressed as a percentage of the labor force. The unemployment rate for a particular group (age, sex, marital status, etc.) is the number unemployed in that group expressed as a percentage of the labor force for that group.

Participation Rate - represents the labor force expressed as a percentage of the population 15 years and over. The participation rate for a particular group (age, sex, marital status, etc.) is the labor force in the group expressed as a percentage of the population for that group.

Full-time - full-time workers normally work 30 or more hours per week. Prior to 1975, the definition of full-time work was 35 or more hours per week.

Blue Collar Jobs - are made up of Primary and Secondary Industries.

Primary Industries - are those which directly involve natural resources. These include agriculture, forestry, fishing and mining.

Secondary Industries - include all other manufacturing, fabricating, repairing and constructing.

Tertiary Industries - include administration and management, clerical jobs, service and sales Jobs.

Administrative and Management Jobs - include both government and private sector administrators and managers, accountants, auditors, personnel officers, purchasing officers, inspectors and regulatory officers. It does not include supervisors within other areas.

Professional Jobs - include natural sciences, engineering, mathematics, social sciences, religion, teaching, medicine and health.

Clerical Jobs - include secretaries, typists, bookkeepers, office machine and electronic data-processing equipment operators, library, mail and file clerks.

Sales Jobs - include both retail and wholesale sale of goods.

Service Jobs- - include fire-fighters, police, Armed Forces, food and beverage preparation, jobs in lodging and accommodation, personal services (e.g., hairdressers, hostesses, baby-sitters, laundry, dry-cleaning, janitors and cleaners).

• Wages

Employment Income - total income received by persons 15 years or over during a given year as wages and salaries, net income from non-farm self-employment and/or net farm- income.

Low Income - identifies the lowest income group in Canada, taking into consideration family size and cost-of-living differences across regions. The group is defined in terms of the percentage of family income which is spent on necessities (i.e., food, shelter and clothing). Specifically, low income families are defined as those who spend more than 20 percentage points above the amount spent on necessities by the average family.

The low income cut-off was calculated in 1968, based on the 1961 Census, to be families spending 62% or more of their income on food, shelter and clothing. In 1978, the cut-off point was recalculated as 58.5%.

Because the cut-off point was changed in 1978, data before and after 1978 cannot be compared. However, this analysis is useful to compare across regions and among various demographic groups (e.g., female-headed vs. male-headed families) within a single year.

Note that low income should not be taken to mean poverty line. It does not take into account wealth (e.g., home ownership) or future earning potential.

• Sample Sizes

Except where noted, Census Canada figures refer to the entire population (not a sample).

The Labor Force Survey - is based on a sample survey of 52,800 representative households including 112,000 respondents across Canada. Any figures that are not based on sufficient sample to be reliable, are reported in the Labor Force Survey.