In recent years, young people have faced difficulties in the labour market. Pandemic lockdowns impacted school and work for most young people, alongside accelerated technological change and the increasing prevalence of gig work (characterized by short-term, on-demand, and task-based labour) have all had negative impacts on quality of work for young people. 

Like many economies across the world, Canadians (and Canadian employers in particular) recognize that Canada needs more skilled tradespeople. Not enough Canadians, however, appear to be interested in pursuing these careers. Rates of enrollment in apprenticeships are falling short of where labour demand is. Past efforts to increase numbers of skilled tradespeople through immigration have fallen short of their targets, with low admittance through federal programs and a lack of information available for new Canadians on how to get qualified.

For employers in the knowledge economy, hybrid work remains critical not only to post-pandemic recovery but to the future of work. 

This project sought to better understand the work experiences of young people with autism, the impacts of assured income policies on employment outcomes of participants, and the overall social return on investment of the ACT! program itself. 

This project sought to understand the factors that influence the degree of quality of work experienced by workers in Nova Scotia in traditional, hybrid and virtual work setups, and how employers in the province can enhance the work experience.

In recent years, young people have faced difficulties in the labour market. Pandemic lockdowns impacted school and work for most young people, alongside accelerated technological change and the increasing prevalence of gig work (characterized by short-term, on-demand, and task-based labour) have all had negative impacts on quality of work for young people. 

This project used Canadian job ads to understand changes in the terms of employment offered to job seekers, focusing specifically on skill, education, and experience requirements, as well as job benefits, between the two-year period prior to the pandemic (2017-2019) and 2022.

This project examined gig work literature and applied its insights to conduct semi-structured interviews with a small group of Canadians with disabilities engaged in gig work.  The findings from the review and interviews showed that many people living with disabilities feel pushed into gig work by a lack of other employment options.