The literacy skills of New Brunswick francophones: Demographic and socioeconomic issues - ARCHIVED

The purpose of this analytical report is to identify the linkages among demographic trends, economic dynamics and literacy skills for New Brunswick francophones. The first part of the report presents the most recent profile of literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills in a technology-rich environment as it relates to New Brunswick francophones, using the data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). The first step is to assess the skill levels of New Brunswick francophones and to compare them against those of their anglophone counterparts and certain other francophone groups in Canada. The first section also endeavours to illustrate the major trends and specific factors that account for the gaps observed in the case of New Brunswick francophones.

The second part of the report looks at the major demographic trends that characterize New Brunswick’s francophone population, focusing mainly on population aging, intraprovincial and interprovincial migration trends and the role of international immigration. These major trends are outlined, as are, more importantly, the ways they interact with the level of literacy and numeracy proficiency of the francophone population. The focus in the third part is similar in that it begins by detailing New Brunswick’s labour market and the role of francophones within it. The reciprocal influences among skills, demographic phenomena and the structure of the labour market documented therein shed light on the vicious circle that New Brunswick francophones find themselves in.