{"id":23493,"date":"2017-10-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-18T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ceric.org\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/"},"modified":"2017-10-18T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-10-18T04:00:00","slug":"how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can We Understand the Pitfalls of Youth Underemployment in Canada?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sociologist argues that if we define this as social problem rather than an individual issue, it may be time for career practitioners to advocate for the preservation of the career itself<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

By Karen Foster<\/em><\/p>\n

In work, wrote the late journalist Studs Terkel, we search \u201cfor daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying.\u201d The meaning we seek, the quality and quantity of recognition and cash, and the particulars that will astonish and enliven us vary over the course of our lives. Young people today bring a diverse but distinct set of expectations about work into workplaces and labour markets that are much different from those of the distant and recent past. And, as Terkel\u2019s words remind us, peoples\u2019 early experiences of work (like all experiences of work) have financial, professional, cultural, biographical and social implications.<\/p>\n

Youth and (under)employment<\/strong><\/p>\n

One key social issue for young workers today is under<\/em>employment. There are increasing numbers of young people who find themselves in jobs that are, low-wage, non-unionized, temporary and\/or part-time positions that rarely offer additional benefits. Many feel they are often overqualified (in terms of education\/credentials, training and experience).<\/p>\n

A number of trends have coalesced to create this situation. First, there is an overall tendency among employers to rely on short-term, flexible and part-time contracts to reduce their labour costs. Young workers, or anyone new to the labour market, bear the brunt of this change. The most obvious illustration of this is wherever employers have introduced \u201ctwo-tier\u201d structures, where new hires are denied the wages, benefits and security their existing workforce enjoys. (It is worth noting that some labour unions have refused to accept two-tier proposals.) This trend is confirmed by statistical data that shows the rising incidence of part-time, temporary and flexible employment across the country, and the disproportionate representation of young workers in such jobs.<\/p>\n

Second, Canadians are becoming increasingly more well-educated, which means there is more competition for jobs that require post-secondary degrees and diplomas. Interestingly, although there is supposedly increased demand for \u201chighly skilled\u201d workers \u2013 which should, in theory, mean more jobs for highly qualified graduates, (and which may have contributed to the normalization of post-secondary enrolment) \u2013 there is some evidence to suggest that employers are simply beginning to seek post-secondary credentials for jobs that used to require high school or less.<\/p>\n

These trends, and the employment and livelihood challenges they have helped create for young workers, have impacts that extend far beyond a person\u2019s first job. Numerous studies have pointed to the \u201cscarring\u201d effects of unemployment and underemployment. In short, they show that un- and underemployment early in life lead to lower wages and slower career advancement.<\/p>\n

But these are just the \u201cdaily bread\u201d aspects of work. My research has explored the \u201cdaily meaning\u201d aspects as well. This research suggests that young people who face diminished employment prospects (specifically low-wage, temporary and part-time jobs that nevertheless demand a great deal of training, time and energy) become disenchanted with work and do not believe there is a strong connection between work effort and reward. They find it harder to build lasting relationships with colleagues, and end up with fewer people to lean on for mentorship, support and friendship. They do not see a commitment from their employer (in the form of permanent contracts, predictable hours, opportunities for advancement and non-salary benefits) and they do not feel obligated to commit, faithfully, in return (in the form of long hours or job tenure). They do not see work as an important source of identity, at least not to the extent that their elders did. These shifts toward what I have called \u201cdisaffected\u201d relationships with paid employment can fundamentally change our social fabric, and they ought to concern everyone \u2013 career practitioners included.<\/p>\n

More than a generational problem<\/strong><\/p>\n

For sociologists like me, the macro-level causes and consequences of youth underemployment make it a \u201csocial problem\u201d or a \u201cpublic issue\u201d rather than an \u201cindividual problem\u201d or \u201cprivate trouble.\u201d In the words of one of our discipline\u2019s most influential thinkers, C. Wright Mills:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen, in a city of 100,000, only one man is unemployed, that is his personal trouble, and for its relief we properly look to the character of the man, his skills, and his immediate opportunities. But when in a nation of 50 million employees, 15 million men are unemployed, that is an issue, and we may not hope to find its solution within the range of opportunities open to any one individual. The very structure of opportunities has collapsed.\u201d<\/p>\n

If we define youth underemployment as a social problem rather than a private trouble, we can also sketch a distinct role for career practitioners. On the one hand, today\u2019s young workers should be made aware of the long-term risks of underemployment and the degrees and credentials that could help save them. To some extent, they will have no choice but to adapt in order to survive, and will need help navigating the possibilities and contemplating the compromises that will work best for them.<\/p>\n

In my research, I found that many young workers benefitted, at least in the short term, by leaving the fields they studied, to pursue unrelated, but stable jobs, or by trading income for autonomy and meaning in self-employment. Career practitioners can help people see options, like these, that they might not otherwise notice. But on the other hand, career practitioners understand the societal importance of careers \u2013 jobs that have advancement opportunities, some degree of security, prestige and meaning. It may be time for career practitioners to advocate, publicly, for the preservation of the career itself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

AUTHOR BIO<\/strong><\/p>\n

Karen Foster<\/strong> is a sociologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax. She studies economic issues from a sociological perspective: from the history of productivity as a statistic and a concept, to generational divisions at work, to young peoples\u2019 experiences on social assistance. Her current research focuses on these kinds of topics as they play out in rural Atlantic Canada.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

Foster, Karen (2013). Generation, Discourse and Social Change<\/em>. New York: Routledge.<\/p>\n

Foster, Karen (2012). \u2018Youth Employment and Un(der)employment in Canada\u2019. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.<\/p>\n

Frenette, Marc. (2004). The overqualified Canadian graduate: the role of the academic program in the incidence, persistence, and economic returns to overqualification<\/em>. Economics of Education Review, 23(1), 29-45.<\/p>\n

Gregg, Paul and Tominey, Emma (2004) \u2018The Wage Scar from Youth Unemployment\u2019, CMPO Working Paper Series No. 04\/097.<\/p>\n

Li, Chris, Ginette Gervais and Aur\u00e9lie Duval (2006) \u2018The Dynamics of Overqualification: Canada\u2019s Underemployed University Graduates\u2019.<\/p>\n

McFarland, Janet (2012). \u2018Two-tier wage scales on the increase in Canada.\u2019 Globe and Mail, September 24th. Accessed August 3, 2017 at https:\/\/goo.gl\/pobGw9<\/p>\n

Mills, C. Wright (2000). The Sociological Imagination<\/em> (Fortieth Anniversary Edition). New York: Oxford University Press, p. 9 (emphasis added).<\/p>\n

Mroz, Thomas and Savage, Timothy (2006). \u2018The Long-Term Effects of Youth Unemployment\u2019, The Journal of Human Resources 41(2).<\/p>\n

Statistics Canada. Analysis in Brief. Accessed August 3, 2017 at http:\/\/www.statcan.gc.ca\/access_acces\/archive.action?loc=\/pub\/11-621-m\/11-621-m2006039-eng.pdf&archive=1<\/a><\/p>\n

Statistics Canada (2011). \u2018Education in Canada: Attainment, Field of Study and Location of Study\u2019. Accessed August 3, 2017 at http:\/\/www12.statcan.gc.ca\/nhs-enm\/2011\/as-sa\/99-012-x\/99-012-x2011001-eng.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Statistics Canada (2014). \u2018Study: Occupational profile and overqualification of young workers in Canada, 1991 to 2011\u2019. The Daily, April 2nd.<\/p>\n

Stark, E., & Poppler, P. (2016). What are they thinking? Employers requiring college degrees for low-skilled jobs.<\/em> SAM Advanced Management Journal, 81(3), 17-27.<\/p>\n

Terkel, Studs (1972). Working: People Talk about what they do all day and how they feel about what they do<\/em>. New York: Random House, p. xi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A sociologist argues that if we define this as social problem rather than an individual issue, it may be time for career practitioners to advocate for [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-non-classifiee"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Can We Understand the Pitfalls of Youth Underemployment in Canada? - CERIC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Can We Understand the Pitfalls of Youth Underemployment in Canada?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A sociologist argues that if we define this as social problem rather than an individual issue, it may be time for career practitioners to advocate for [\u2026]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CERIC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-10-18T04:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Norman Valdez\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@rachel@ceric.ca\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"\u00c9crit par\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Norman Valdez\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Dur\u00e9e de lecture estim\u00e9e\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/fr\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/fr\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Norman Valdez\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/444d77ede5f23ae98c74e54ab17e2da2\"},\"headline\":\"How Can We Understand the Pitfalls of Youth Underemployment in Canada?\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-18T04:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/fr\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1290,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Non classifi\u00e9(e)\"],\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/fr\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/fr\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/fr\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\\\/\",\"name\":\"How Can We Understand the Pitfalls of Youth Underemployment in Canada? - CERIC\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-18T04:00:00+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/fr\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/fr\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/fr\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/fr\\\/ceric-homepage-2025\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How Can We Understand the Pitfalls of Youth Underemployment in Canada?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/\",\"name\":\"CERIC\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"CERIC\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\",\"caption\":\"CERIC\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/444d77ede5f23ae98c74e54ab17e2da2\",\"name\":\"Norman Valdez\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/01def366a03d176e612e177e52d2c8b99d80f13e922b93d5fb9696239fb7fbd4?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/01def366a03d176e612e177e52d2c8b99d80f13e922b93d5fb9696239fb7fbd4?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/01def366a03d176e612e177e52d2c8b99d80f13e922b93d5fb9696239fb7fbd4?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Norman Valdez\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/rachel@ceric.ca\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ceric.ca\\\/fr\\\/author\\\/norman\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Can We Understand the Pitfalls of Youth Underemployment in Canada? - CERIC","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/","og_locale":"fr_FR","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Can We Understand the Pitfalls of Youth Underemployment in Canada?","og_description":"A sociologist argues that if we define this as social problem rather than an individual issue, it may be time for career practitioners to advocate for [\u2026]","og_url":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/","og_site_name":"CERIC","article_published_time":"2017-10-18T04:00:00+00:00","author":"Norman Valdez","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@rachel@ceric.ca","twitter_misc":{"\u00c9crit par":"Norman Valdez","Dur\u00e9e de lecture estim\u00e9e":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/"},"author":{"name":"Norman Valdez","@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/444d77ede5f23ae98c74e54ab17e2da2"},"headline":"How Can We Understand the Pitfalls of Youth Underemployment in Canada?","datePublished":"2017-10-18T04:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/"},"wordCount":1290,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Non classifi\u00e9(e)"],"inLanguage":"fr-FR","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/","url":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/","name":"How Can We Understand the Pitfalls of Youth Underemployment in Canada? - CERIC","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-10-18T04:00:00+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"fr-FR","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/2017\/10\/how-can-we-understand-the-pitfalls-of-youth-underemployment-in-canada\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/ceric-homepage-2025\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Can We Understand the Pitfalls of Youth Underemployment in Canada?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/","name":"CERIC","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"fr-FR"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/#organization","name":"CERIC","url":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"fr-FR","@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"CERIC"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/444d77ede5f23ae98c74e54ab17e2da2","name":"Norman Valdez","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"fr-FR","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01def366a03d176e612e177e52d2c8b99d80f13e922b93d5fb9696239fb7fbd4?s=96&d=blank&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01def366a03d176e612e177e52d2c8b99d80f13e922b93d5fb9696239fb7fbd4?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01def366a03d176e612e177e52d2c8b99d80f13e922b93d5fb9696239fb7fbd4?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Norman Valdez"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/rachel@ceric.ca"],"url":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/author\/norman\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23493\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceric.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}