Economic and Social Reports, September 2022

The September 2022 issue of Economic and Social Reports is now available and contains three articles.

In 2019, families with high-liquid wealth held more Registered Education Savings Plans investments than low-liquid-wealth families

Liquid wealth, or wealth that is easy to access, is a very important factor for investing in Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs). The article "Registered education savings plan investments by family income and liquid wealth" shows that while there is still a large difference in RESP investments between low-income and high-income families, high liquid-wealth families tend to hold considerably more RESP investments than low-liquid-wealth families, even when both are in the same income group.

RESP eligibility is based on income, but income is far from being a perfect predictor of liquid wealth. In 2019, 11.5% of families in the bottom 20% (or lowest income quintile) of the income distribution had high liquid wealth (at least $20,000 for a family of four), while 25.3% of families in the top income quintile had low liquid wealth (below $5,000 for a family of four).

Laid-off workers seek out career-oriented education programs

Workers who lose their job are more likely to return to school with a career focus in mind. The article "Postsecondary education decisions following a permanent layoff" finds that experiencing a permanent layoff is not only associated with an increased likelihood of enrolling in postsecondary education, but once there, affected workers are more likely to select short, career-oriented programs.

A permanent layoff is also associated with a higher probability of women enrolling in a STEM (science and technology, engineering, and mathematics) program, including those that are mathematics-intensive.

This study examined shorter, less conventional programs (e.g., basic skills training, high school upgrading, short program credentials, or certificates) to fill gaps in research related to the detailed training activities of Canadians who have been permanently laid off. The findings are consistent with the notion that laid-off workers may prefer shorter programs, especially if they have a family to take care of and bills to pay.

In 2016, about one-third of legislators at all levels of government were women

In 2016, women made up just under one-third (32.5%) of all legislators at all three levels of government. The study "Who are Canada's legislators? Characteristics and gender gaps among members of legislative bodies" compares and contrasts sociodemographic characteristics of men and women who worked as legislators in the federal, provincial and territorial, or municipal, local and regional public administration in 2016.

Male legislators were, on average, older than female legislators, more likely to be married and less likely to be separated or divorced. Female legislators were more educated than their male counterparts.

The share of female legislators overall, and within each of the three levels of government examined, did not change substantially from 2001 to 2016.

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