Description: measures the adjustments businesses are making in the face of rapid technological advancements, new directions in public policy and global competition. The emphasis is on human resource practices, labour requirements and the interaction of employers and employees in the workplace.

Who/what is surveyed: the final pilot sample included 748 establishments and 1,960 workers. The 1999 production survey yielded a usable sample of 6,398 locations and about 25,000 workers.

How the data is collected: survey of employers selected from a register of all businesses in Canada; survey of employees from the same workplaces

Geographic detail: Canada, the four large provinces, Manitoba/Saskatchewan and the Atlantic region

Information collected:
1. the structure of the workforce
2. hiring
3. unfilled vacancies and separations
4. compensation
5. training
6. hours of work
7. workplace organization
8. collective bargaining
9. business strategy
10. innovation
11. technology
12. job characteristics
13. educational requirements
14. many more variables for all major industries
15. As report is based on the pilot survey, the results are, in a sense, a case study. While they apply only to the particular industry/province combinations noted, the selected industries cover the major sectors of the economy.

Frequency: annual

Sample size: 6,398 locations; 25,000 workers

Data availability: pilot survey in 1996, full survey in 1999

Reference period: Fiscal year

Release dates: Late fall 2000

Response rates: For the 1999 production survey: Employer portion: 94%; Employee portion: 83%

What makes the data valuable:
1. will help design training programs for unemployed workers
2. will help to develop educational materials
3. evaluate labour and social policies
4. could be used to develop a labour cost index

Products and services:
1. The Evolving Workplace: Findings from the Pilot Workplace and Employee Survey (Catalogue no. 71-583-XPE)
2. The 1999 survey results will be available in a series of four publications which are planned to be released sequentially between the end of November 2000 and March 31, 2001.
3. A compendium of tabulations will also be released with the first overview publication.
4. Selected research papers based on the 1999 survey data will be available by the end of March 31, 2001. The employer and employee micro data files are expected to be available in the regional offices in October 2000 and in the data research centers.
5. Microdata files and special tabulations will be available on a cost-recovery basis.

Responsible division: Labour Statistics