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Who Can Work Where: Reducing Barriers to Labour Mobility in Canada

Author

Listed:
  • Robert Knox

    (R.H. Knox & Associates)

Abstract

Barriers to labour mobility in Canada remain a problem, even though Canadian governments have taken steps to reduce them. In the study, the author says Canada’s regulated professions and skilled trades, which represent about 11 percent of the workforce, face barriers to mobility that have negative implications for the country’s productivity, labour supply and future economic prospects. Like the rest of the world, Canada will face a labour crunch in the next 10 years. Unless Canada ensures that its professionals and skilled workers can work anywhere in the country, it could limit the ability to attract the people the economy needs.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert Knox, 2010. "Who Can Work Where: Reducing Barriers to Labour Mobility in Canada," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 131, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:cdh:backgr:131
    as

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    File URL: https://www.cdhowe.org/public-policy-research/who-can-work-where-reducing-barriers-labour-mobility-canada
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Philippe Bergevin, 2010. "Change is in the Cards: Competition in the Canadian Debit Card Market," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 125, February.
    2. John Stapleton, 2010. "Down but Not Out: Reforming Social Assistance Rules that Punish the Poor for Saving," e-briefs 93, C.D. Howe Institute.
    3. William B.P. Robson, 2010. "Cutting Through Pension Complexity: Easy Steps Forward for the 2010 Federal Budget," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 126, February.
    4. Michael Parkin, 2010. "How Soon? How Fast? Interest Rates and Other Monetary Policy Decisions in 2010," e-briefs 92, C.D. Howe Institute.
    5. Pierre Siklos, 2010. "Taking Monetary Aggregates Seriously," e-briefs 94, C.D. Howe Institute.
    6. Kathleen E. Macmillan & Patrick Grady, 2007. "A New Prescription: Can the BC-Alberta TILMA Resuscitate Internal Trade in Canada?," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 106, October.
    7. Philippe Bergevin & David Laidler, 2010. "Room for Manoeuvre – Monetary Policy Over the Next Eighteen Months, and the Allure of Price-Level Targeting," e-briefs 97, C.D. Howe Institute.
    8. William B.P. Robson & Colin Busby, 2010. "Freeing up Food: The Ongoing Cost, and Potential Reform, of Supply Management," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 128, April.
    9. David Johnson, 2007. "School Grades: Identifying Alberta’s Best Public Schools," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 104, September.
    10. Alexandre Laurin & William B.P. Robson & Colin Busby & Finn Poschmann, 2010. "Back to Balance: A Shadow Federal Budget for 2010," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 127, February.
    11. Henning Bjornlund, 2010. "The Competition for Water: Striking a Balance among Social, Environmental, and Economic Needs," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 302, April.
    12. Colin Busby, 2010. "Manitoba’s Demographic Challenge: Why Improving Aboriginal Education Outcomes Is Vital for Economic Prosperity," e-briefs 99, C.D. Howe Institute.
    13. Martin Cave & Adrian Foster, 2010. "Solving Spectrum Gridlock: Reforms to Liberalize Radio Spectrum Management in Canada in the Face of Growing Scarcity," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 303, May.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Pierre Siklos & Andrew Spence, 2010. "Faceoff: Should the Bank of Canada Release its Projections of the Interest Rate Path? – The Cases For and Against," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 134, October.
    2. Lawrence L. Herman, 2010. "Trend Spotting: NAFTA Disputes After Fifteen Years," C.D. Howe Institute Backgrounder, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 133, July.
    3. Clyde Goodlet, 2010. "Too Big to Fail: A Misguided Policy in Times of Financial Turmoil," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 311, October.
    4. John Richards, 2010. "Reducing Lone-Parent Poverty: A Canadian Success Story," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 305, June.
    5. Benjamin Dachis, 2010. "Picking up Savings: The Benefits of Competition in Municipal Waste Services," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 308, September.
    6. Philippe Bergevin, 2013. "Who is still Standing in Line? Addressing a Mismatch of Skills and Jobs in the Canadian Labour Market," e-briefs 154, C.D. Howe Institute.
    7. Alan J. Richardson & Eksa Kilfoyle, 2012. "Merging the Profession: A Historical Perspective on Accounting Association Mergers in Canada," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(2), pages 77-109, June.
    8. Jan Carr, 2010. "Power Sharing: Developing Inter-Provincial Electricity Trade," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 306, July.
    9. Benjamin Dachis & Robert Hebdon, 2010. "The Laws of Unintended Consequence: The Effect of Labour Legislation on Wages and Strikes," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 304, June.
    10. Bob Baldwin & Brian FitzGerald, 2010. "Seeking Certainty in Uncertain Times: A Review of Recent Government-Sponsored Studies on the Regulation of Canadian Pension Plans," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 310, September.
    11. Robbie Brydon & Ben Dachis, 2013. "Access Denied: The Effect of Apprenticeship Restrictions in Skilled Trades," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 380, May.
    12. Indermit Gill & Johannes Koettl & Truman Packard, 2013. "Full employment: a distant dream for Europe," IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 2(1), pages 1-34, December.
    13. Dave Sawyer & Carolyn Fischer, 2010. "Better Together? The Implications of Linking Canada-US Greenhouse Gas Policies," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 307, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economic Growth and Innovation; labour mobility; Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT); Labour Mobility Chapter;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy
    • J44 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Professional Labor Markets and Occupations
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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