Social Welfare in the North - Labour & Poverty PDF

[Intro to Social Welfare in the North] [Week 4: Labour & poverty] - Social problems -- declining social economic status, personal distress (impacts wellbeing & health) Economic growth & income inequalities - 1980s - reduced inequality - 1990s - increased inequality - Higher income...

[Intro to Social Welfare in the North] [Week 4: Labour & poverty] - Social problems -- declining social economic status, personal distress (impacts wellbeing & health) Economic growth & income inequalities - 1980s - reduced inequality - 1990s - increased inequality - Higher income earners replaced lower earners - Marginalized communities live below poverty line Intersectional inequalities persist Changes in Canadian labour market - Globalization - Technology - Unionization & precariousness of labour - Pensions plan cuts - Educated workers - Women in the workforce Precarious labour - Insecure, non-unionized employment - Limited rights & protection - Poorly paid - Future uncertainties - Common in part-time, seasonal contracts Impacts of precarious labour - Health & safety risks - Fear of job loss or deportation - Difficulty accessing medicine - Limited education & training - Burnout & MH issues - Lack of social connections Underemployment - Occurs when job education & training exceeds worker\'s skills - Common among immigrant workers - esp. Indian doctors - Issues - accreditation & racialized labour system - Visible underemployment - fewer hours & multiple gigs - Invisible underemployment - full-time jobs w/o training application Working poor - Individuals aged 18-64, independent, not students, earn at least \$3000/year - Majority - Indigenous peoples, immigrants, marginalized communities - Face unstable jobs, unpredictable work hours, fewer benefits - Newcomers often dismissed for lack of Canadian work experience & education - Reducing inequality requires access to education, safe working conditions, job security, social safety net, addressing discrimination Youth unemployment & Indigenous youth - Racialized & indigenous youth - more likely to be NEEM (not in employment, education, training) due to colonization - Surveys exclude persons living on reserve (social elimination) - Racialized persons - higher unemployment rates than non-racialized persons - Income inequality between racialized & non-racialized Canadians extends to subsequent generations - Accumulated discrimination increases health issues & poverty - Immigrants - racism & gender discrimination - Disabled persons - low employment levels and barriers to education, economic, social participation - Indigenous children - most marginalized & economically disadvantaged Solving the problem - Govt reduced EI premiums from 1.88% (2015) to 1.66% (2018) - cutting \$3.6 billion/year from the EI funding over 7 years - Fund is intrusive, hard to access, insufficient to meet the need - Cannot access - temp workers, women in precarious work, international students - Pay equity act - address systemic gender-based discrimination in compensation practices - Pandemic increased calls for universal basic income - aimed at reducing poverty & improving lives - Workers' compensation - insurance program designed to replace the tort system, includes support for dependents in case of a worker\'s death or arising out of work - Workfare requires unemployed people to work as a term of eligibility for social assistance - reinforcing myth of the poor as responsible for their own problems Per capita income - Measured by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, used to compare economic standing across countries and population groups - Aims to increase productivity through innovation, investment in machinery & equipment, foreign direct investment - Limitations of per capita income necessitate focus on social investment to meet unique population needs - Social investment focuses on health and wellbeing, educational attainment, lifelong learning, workplace training Social determinants of health - Govt poverty reduction policies focus on job security - Quality of job crucial - Factors - income, education, race, disabilities, gender, Indigenous status, health services, social exclusion, housing, food security, unemployment, job security, working conditions Changing labour market -- what needs to be done? - Radical economic & social policy solutions - Address income security, housing, homelessness, healthcare, food security, early childhood education, employment - Stimulate growth & focus on equity, diversity, inclusion - Use race-based data to link data collection to action