Budget limits create logistical challenge for First Nations labour data – The Globe and Mail
Mar. 10 2015
The head of Statistics Canada says it would be costly and difficult to collect monthly labour statistics on First Nations reserves – but that it’s “entirely possible” to collect the data on an annual basis, provided there’s government will and enough funding.
Canada does not collect monthly statistics on First Nations reserves as part of its labour force survey, an omission Statscan says is largely due to high costs of gathering data from remote areas. This means about half of the country’s First Nations population does not show up in the data, making it difficult to determine jobless rates or the effectiveness of various government programs.
That statistical gap is unlikely to change any time soon. The country’s labour force survey is intended to give a “quick, accurate and timely measure” of job market conditions – while gathered at an affordable price, said Wayne Smith, chief statistician of Statistics Canada in a Feb. 23 interview in Ottawa.
