Mark KeeseHead of Employment Analysis and Policy DivisionDirectorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs

Better skills for more inclusive and sustainable growth

Public Policy Forum, Canada and the OECD: 50 Years of Converging Interests, Ottawa, 2-3 June 2011

Introduction

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Much to learn from Canada’s good performance in human resource development

But Canada faces several challenges requiring better skill utilisation and investments in new skills

Recent OECD work that may help Canada address these challenges

Canada has a highly educated population

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And ranks highly in student achievement

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PISA scores for reading, 2009

Source: OECD.

But lags behind in terms of training

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Is over-qualification a problem?

Unweighted average

Share of tertiary graduates in non-graduate jobs* (%)

* Non-graduate jobs refer to jobs not requiring a tertiary qualification. The modal qualification in each occupational group at the two-digit level is used to measure required qualifications.Source: ISSP.

Key challenges for Canada’s skills and employment policies

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In context of population ageing, Canada must fully utilise its existing skills

Encourage longer working-lives Strengthen opportunities for women to combine family and work

responsibilities Better integrate disadvantaged youth and other vulnerable

groups into the labour market

But productivity growth must also be raised

And together with the green revolution

This requires more and better investments in skills and innovation

What can the OECD bring to the table?

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An employment framework to promote better labour utilisation – The OECD Jobs Strategy

The OECD Green Growth and Innovation Strategies which give policy guidance for promoting skill development for the future

Youth, education and training reviews

PISA – a new window on student performance

But will focus on:

PIAAC Local skills strategies OECD Skills Strategy

The OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)

Literacy, numeracy & problem-solving skillso Direct assessment

Skill formation & outcomes

o Background questions on adult learning, labour-market status, earnings, health …

Measures of generic skills used at workoBased on job tasks

Household-based survey of population 16-65 (minimum of 5000 respondents per country) to be held in 2011-212

25 countries participating

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Local Skills Strategies “ecosystems”

The OECD Skills Strategy

Conclusions

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Canada will need to run hard to stay ahead of other countries in terms of competiveness and to promote sustainable growth

It starts from a solid basis with a highly-skilled population and other OECD countries can learn from Canada’s experience

But must respond to population ageing, globalisation, the green revolution and on-going technical change

Much of the OECD’s work on skills and employment policies should help Canada to stay at the head of the race

For further information:

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Thank you