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Employment Effects of Restructuring in the Public Sector in North America

Author

Listed:
  • Paul Fenton
  • Irene Ip
  • Geoff Wright

Abstract

This paper examines whether restructuring in the public sector contributed to the slower cyclical recovery in Canada than in the United States during the 1990s. Changes in public sector employment are used to investigate this question. The pressures that led up to the restructuring are explored and the resulting changes in employment are documented. A standardized definition of the public sector is proposed that allows for a consistent comparison of changes in employment in Canada with those of the United States. These changes are examined by level of government and by function. The analysis reveals that, in Canada, changes in employment in the "standardized" public sector were negative during much of the 1990s, in contrast to the continued, steady expansion of this sector in the United States. Evidence presented from longitudinal surveys indicates that certain workers who were displaced from the public sector in Canada experienced difficulties regaining employment. A key conclusion is that public sector restructuring contributed to the slower recovery in employment in Canada in the 1990s.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Fenton & Irene Ip & Geoff Wright, 2001. "Employment Effects of Restructuring in the Public Sector in North America," Staff Working Papers 01-19, Bank of Canada.
    • Handle: RePEc:bca:bocawp:01-19
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    File URL: https://www.bankofcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/wp01-19.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hartle, D.G., 1993. "The Federal Deficit," Papers 93-30, Queen's at Kingston - School of Policy Studies.
    2. Paul Atkinson & Paul van den Noord, 2001. "Managing Public Expenditure: Some Emerging Policy Issues and A Framework for Analysis," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 285, OECD Publishing.
    3. Marriott, J.F. & Mable, A.L., 1994. "The Hospital sector: reform Initiatives," Papers 94-13, Queen's at Kingston - School of Policy Studies.
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    Cited by:

    1. Carolyn Kwan, 2002. "Restructuring in the Canadian Economy: A Survey of Firms," Staff Working Papers 02-8, Bank of Canada.
    2. Jean Farès & Terence Yuen, 2003. "Technological Change and the Education Premium in Canada: Sectoral Evidence," Staff Working Papers 03-18, Bank of Canada.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labour markets;

    JEL classification:

    • J45 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Public Sector Labor Markets

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