Some facts about college education and employment chances in Ontario

I promise you this is interesting -- or at least that it is worth your attention if you worry about employment in Ontario nowadays.

The Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, which is an agency of the Government of Ontario, has made some credible information demonstrating the value of a college (postsecondary) education available on its website.

In Ontario between 1999 and 2011, the unemployment rate among people between the ages 25 and 44 with any postsecondary credential (e.g., a college diploma or a bachelor’s degree) was always lower compared to the unemployment rate among people without such credentials.

So far, this probably doesn’t surprise you.  Everyone knows that education is valuable because it is linked to success in the job market.  If this is true, then it seems to make sense that achieving a “higher” degree should improve one’s overall chances of landing a job even more -- but the data do NOT support this reasoning with much strength.  In fact, the unemployment rate for these people varied within 1% in both 2010 and 2011.  Having postsecondary education was important, no doubt, but it didn’t make a huge difference if someone graduated from college versus university.  Even if you don’t understand all of the details, I’m sure you’re aware that economic times were pretty rough around 2008.  These data show that in 2008 there was even less of a difference in unemployment rate among people who had completed postsecondary education; it varied within just 0.3%!  The unemployment rate for both college and university graduates in this demographic was almost the same in 2008.  When the unemployment rate peaked for those with no postsecondary credentials in 2009, there was a more pronounced difference in the unemployment rates for people with different types of credentials, but they still had better chances of being employed than those without higher education

These data do not analyze the quality of the jobs that were out there, but for many people who are out of work that's a secondary consideration compared to gaining any employment in the first place.

See the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario’s “Quick Stats” here.