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February 26, 1996
New study shows profound effects of temporary employment
Ottawa -- The number of Canadians who depend on temporary employment, offering little security and few
if any benefits, is on the rise. Currently, about one of every 10 employed Canadians are in temporary jobs.
The increase in temporary jobs has been rapid. In the five-year period 1989-1994, the number of jobs in
Canada that were temporary increased by 21 per cent.
And most Canadians earning their living this way are not doing so by choice. Two of every three temporary
workers would prefer a full-time job.
These are some major findings of the first in a series of reports from the Canadian Council on Social
Development on the changing labour market and its impact on family income security. The report called
Temporary Employment in Canada: Profiles, Patterns and Policy Considerations was prepared and written
by CCSD researcher Grant Schellenberg and policy analyst Chris Clark. It examines the phenomenon in
terms of numbers, its relationship to the changing economy and its implications for public policy, including
the Canada Labour Code, employer-sponsored benefits and unemployment insurance.
"As private firms and governments continue to shed traditional full-time workers from their payrolls, we
expect to see continued growth in temporary and other flexible forms of employment. These changes are
having an enormous impact on Canadian families," says Schellenberg.
"The euphoria over 'flexibility' has overshadowed some of the negative side-effects of non-standard forms of
work. Instability, lower earnings and fewer benefits should be a concern to workers in this country. We are
seeing that flexibility, up to this point at least, has not come without a price. The focus of government policy
should be to balance the costs and benefits of these emerging forms of work," says Clark.
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Temporary Employment in Canada - Related Material
Canadian Council on Social Development,
309 Cooper Street, 5th Floor,
Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 0G5
Tel: (613) 236-8977, Fax: (613) 236-2750, Web: www.ccsd.ca, Email: council@ccsd.ca
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