Foreword 5
Table of contents 7
Acronyms and abbreviations 11
Executive summary 13
Key conclusions and recommendations 14
Recommendations for boosting local employment and economic development opportunities of indigenous communities 14
Towards an action plan for jobs: Recommendations for Saskatchewan 14
Towards an action plan for jobs: Recommendations for Yukon 14
Reader’s guide 16
Box 1. Summary of the OECD LEED Local Job Creation Project Methodology 16
Local Job Creation Dashboard 17
Box 2. Local Job Creation Dashboard 17
The approach for Canada 17
Chapter 1.Policy context for employment and skills in Canada 19
Key economic and labour market trends in Canada 20
Economic trends 20
Figure 1.1. Annual real GDP growth in Canada and the OECD, 2007-17 20
Figure 1.2. GDP per hour worked (2010 USD, constant prices) 21
Population trends 21
Education and skills 22
Labour market trends 22
Figure 1.3. Annual employment growth rate, Canada and OECD average, 2007-17 22
Figure 1.4. Unemployment rate, Canadian provinces and territories, 2015 23
Figure 1.5. Employment rate, Canadian provinces and territories, 2015 23
Figure 1.6. Long-term unemployment rates of 15-24 year olds versus 25-54 year olds, Canada 24
Indigenous employment and economic development 27
Indigenous Peoples and the labour market 28
Figure 1.7. Share of Indigenous people aged 15 years or more, Canadian provinces, 2011 28
Education and skills 28
Figure 1.8. Educational attainment, Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations aged 15 years or more, Canada, 2011 29
Figure 1.9. Average literacy scores, population aged 16 to 65, selected Canadian provinces and territories, 2012 30
Labour market trends 29
Figure 1.10. Unemployment rate percentage of Indigenous and non-indigenous populations, Canada (excluding territories), 2007-15 31
Table 1.1. Unemployment, employment and participation rate, percentage of Indigenous and non-indigenous populations aged 15 years or more, Canada (excluding territories), 2015 31
Figure 1.11. Unemployment rate, percentage of indigenous and non-indigenous populations aged 15 years or more, Canadian provinces (excluding territories), 2014 32
Figure 1.12. Employment rate, percentage of indigenous and non-indigenous populations aged 15 years or more, Canadian provinces (excluding territories), December 2014 32
Employment by industry 31
Employment by occupations 33
Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurship 33
Note 33
References 33
Chapter 2.Canadian federal employment policies and programmes 35
Employment and skills programmes at the federal level 36
Apprenticeships 38
Labour market initiatives targeted to specific groups 39
Youth 39
Indigenous Peoples 39
Urban Indigenous People 46
Immigrants 47
Older Workers 48
Vulnerable Persons 48
Official Language Minority Communities 49
Supporting local economic development in Canada 49
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada 50
CanNor 50
Western Economic Diversification 51
References 51
Chapter 3.Saskatchewan’s employment and skills system 53
Overview of employment and skills policies in Saskatchewan 54
Local government in Saskatchewan 54
Ministry of the Economy 55
Apprenticeship 56
Canada-Saskatchewan Job Grant 56
Ministry of Advanced Education 56
Ministry of Social Services 58
Targeted Policies and Programmes 58
Indigenous Peoples 58
References 59
Chapter 4.Yukon’s employment and skills system 61
Overview of Yukon’s employment and skills system 62
Local government in Yukon 62
Department of Education 62
Labour Market Services 62
Employment Services 63
Targeted services to Youth 64
Indigenous Peoples 64
Targeted services to persons with disabilities 65
Targeted Initiative for Older Workers 66
Policies and programmes for immigrants 67
Economic Development 67
References 68
Chapter 5.Overview of the case study areas in Saskatchewan and Yukon 69
Overview 70
Whitecap Dakota First Nation, Saskatchewan 70
Figure 5.1. Map of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and Whitecap Dakota First Nation 71
Regina, Saskatchewan 72
Figure 5.2. Map of Regina, Saskatchewan 73
Whitehorse, Yukon 75
Figure 5.3. Map of Yukon, showing Whitehorse and Dawson City 75
Dawson City 77
Provincial profiles for Saskatchewan and Yukon 78
Population 78
Figure 5.4. Share of indigenous population by Indigenous groups (First nations, Métis, Inuit), 2011 79
Educational attainment 78
Figure 5.5. Highest Certificate, Diploma or Degree, Population aged 15 years or more by Indigenous identity, Canada, Yukon, Saskatchewan, 2011 79
Labour market 78
Figure 5.6. Participation and employment rates, Population aged 15 years or more, Yukon, Saskatchewan, Canada average, 2011 80
Figure 5.7. Youth unemployment, Population aged 15 to 24, Canada (excluding territories), Saskatchewan, Yukon, 2006-14 80
Employment and industrial structure 80
Figure 5.8. Share of employment by select industry categories, population aged 15 years or more, Saskatchewan, Yukon, 2014 81
Figure 5.9. Share of employment by occupations, Population aged 15 years or more, Saskatchewan, Yukon, 2014 81
Labour force dynamics 81
Figure 5.10. Understanding the relationship between skills supply and demand 82
Box 5.1. Explaining the OECD diagnostic tool comparing skills supply and demand 83
Figure 5.11. Balancing the supply and demand of skills, Saskatchewan, 2011 83
References 83
Chapter 6.Key findings from the OECD Local Job Creation Dashboard 85
Overview 86
Figure 6.1. Local Job Creation Dashboard for Saskatchewan 86
Figure 6.2. Local Job Creation Dashboard for Yukon 87
Theme 1: Better aligning policies and programmes to local economic development 87
Figure 6.3. Dashboard results for better aligning policies and programmes to local economic development 87
Flexibility within employment services 87
Flexibility within vocational education and training 90
Capacities within employment and VET sectors 91
Box 6.1. Building local capacity in Yukon’s Indigenous Population 91
Policy co-ordination, policy integration and co-operation with other sectors 92
Box 6.2. Policy Co-ordination in Whitecap First Nations 93
Evidence-based policy making 95
Theme 2: Adding value through skills 96
Figure 6.4. Dashboard results for adding value through skills 96
Flexible training open to all in a broad range of sectors 96
Box 6.3. Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology 97
Working with employers on training 98
Box 6.4. Regina Trades and Skills Centre 99
Box 6.5. Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in apprenticeship registration 100
Matching people to jobs and facilitating progression 101
Joined up approaches to skills 102
Theme 3: Targeting policy to local employment sectors and investing in quality jobs 104
Figure 6.5. Dashboard results for targeting policy to local employment sectors and investing in quality jobs 104
Relevance of provision to important local employment sectors and global trends and challenges 104
Box 6.6. Collaboration among Industry, Accademia and Governments to develop cold climate technology 105
Work with employers on assuring decent work and skills utilisation 106
Promotion of skills for entrepreneurship 108
Economic development promotes quality jobs for local people 109
Box 6.7. First Nation Economic Development 110
Theme 4: Being inclusive 111
Figure 6.6. Dashboard results for being inclusive 111
Employment and training programmes are geared to local “at-risk” groups 111
Childcare and family friendly policies to support women’s participation in employment 112
Box 6.8. Focusing on the early years in the Yukon 114
Tackling youth unemployment 115
4.4. Openness to immigration 115
References 117
Chapter 7.Towards an action plan for jobs: Recommendations for better supporting local employment and economic development 119
Recommendations for local employment and economic development of indigenous communities 120
Towards an action plan for jobs: Recommendations for Saskatchewan 123
Box 7.1. Local boards in Ontario and the United States 124
Towards an action plan for jobs: Recommendations for the Yukon 127
Box 7.2. Targeting the tourism sector in Blackpool, United Kingdom 129
Box 7.3. Employer Resource Networks in the United States 131
References 132