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ECON 105

Who has work, and who is looking?

Count people in the labour market, compare three rates, and connect wage floors and unemployment to the output gap. Explore the ideas, then solve ten worked questions.

Counting people and rates · Step 1 of 12

A job, an active search, or outside the labour force?

QuestionSelected resident
Did any work?Yes
Looked in past four weeks?No
Available for work?Yes
StatusEmployed
A worker did paid work at a job in the reference week.
Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey covers the population aged 15 and over. Employed: did any work at a job or business in the reference week. Unemployed: without work, had looked for work in the past four weeks, and available for work.
Try it: Choose each profile. Part-time work still counts as employment. Wanting more hours can be underemployment, even though the person has a job.
One fictional resident aged 15 or over
Employed
1
Unemployed
0
Outside
0
A worker did paid work at a job in the reference week.
Work was done → employed.
Check yourself
A person worked part time but wanted full-time work. How do we count them?

Exam coming up and unemployment rates still feel confusing?

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