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Employment Flows and Job Tenure in Canada

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  • Louis N. Christofides
  • C. J. McKenna

Abstract

Data from Canada's 1986-87 Labour Market Activity Survey (LMAS) are used to study the pattern of employment flows, and to construct various estimates of average job duration. A subsample of 58,458 observed jobs are classified according to their start dates and their termination date, if any. Thus our sample consists of both completed and censored employment spells. In the case of terminations, data are available on the reason for employment ending. The distribution of completed spell lengths, which indicates the steady-state flow of new jobs, is highly skewed, with a mode around 10 weeks. Using the Akerlof and Main (1981) termination-weighted measure of job expectancy in the stock of jobs we find this to be around eight years. Our findings on job durations are comparable with those for the United States and Great Britain. In addition, average durations vary systematically with age, sex, industry, occupation, education, province, firm-size and unionization.

Suggested Citation

  • Louis N. Christofides & C. J. McKenna, 1993. "Employment Flows and Job Tenure in Canada," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 19(2), pages 145-161, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpp:issued:v:19:y:1993:i:2:p:145-161
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrew Heisz, 2005. "The evolution of job stability in Canada: trends and comparisons with U.S. results," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(1), pages 105-127, February.
    2. Andolfatto, David & Gomme, Paul, 1996. "Unemployment insurance and labor-market activity in Canada," Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 47-82, June.
    3. Andreas Hornstein & Mingwei Yuan, 1999. "Can a Matching Model Explain the Long-Run Increase in Canada's Unemployment Rate?," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 32(4), pages 878-905, August.
    4. Kapsalis, Constantine, 2000. "The Impact of Bill C-12 on New Entrants and Re-Entrants," MPRA Paper 26137, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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