Aging Workers | Category: | Safety Editorials (Mr. Reporter) | | Published Date: | July/aug. 2005 | |
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-- More Canadians are working but they're working less, reflecting, among other things, an aging workforce and a desire by employees to find a "better balance" between their working and personal lives, Statistics Canada says.
Over the first three years of the decade, the average annual number of hours worked plunged by 70 hours or 1.4 hours per week.
"This decline was surprising since employment continued to be uncommonly strong despite slower economic growth than in the late 1990s," it said.
In fact, employment increased 8.1% while the number of hours worked rose only 4.3%, an "unprecedented gap" in the two measures of work.
It said that wide gap has led some analysts to question whether the economy has performed as well in creating jobs this decade as has been reported.
"When employment increases, a corresponding rise in hours worked can usually be expected," it noted.
The study found the plunge in the number of hours worked was overstated because of the "methodology" used in making the calculations.
However, even after making the necessary adjustments, it also found Canadian employees in 2003 were still working on average a week less than they were in 2000.
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