Why Canada’s skills mismatch is cause for concern
A recent C.D. Howe study, Bad Fits: The Causes, Extent and Costs of Job Skills Mismatch in Canada, shows that about 13 per cent of full-time workers in Canada are either under- or overskilled, in terms of literacy, numeracy and problem-solving, for their job, with the underskilled and overskilled about equally divided for each skill.
While skills needed in today’s labour market are not limited to these cognitive skills, they are skills that workers need to use essentially in any occupation (but to varying degree) and are fundamental to all learning.
The good news is that Canada generally ranks among those developed countries with relatively lower levels of skills mismatch.
The skills mismatch problem is significantly more pronounced among certain socio-economic groups. While workers with higher educational attainment are more likely to be overskilled, women, immigrants and older workers are more likely to be underskilled for their jobs.
