--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/labour-market-seasonality-in-canada-trends-and-policy-implications/" title: "Labour Market Seasonality in Canada: Trends and Policy Implications" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T13:59:48+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T13:59:48+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "Atlantic Canada" - "Canada" - "labour market seasonality" - "OECD" - "seasonal employment" - "unemployment" country_focus: - "Canada" province_region: - "National" research_theme: - "Labour Markets" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # Labour Market Seasonality in Canada: Trends and Policy Implications Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/labour-market-seasonality-in-canada-trends-and-policy-implications/ # Labour Market Seasonality in Canada: Trends and Policy Implications [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2005-01-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Sharpe, Andrew, and Jeremy Smith. 2005. “Labour Market Seasonality in Canada: Trends and Policy Implications.” CSLS Research Report 2005-01. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/labour-market-seasonality-in-canada-trends-and-policy-implications/ ## Authors: - Andrew Sharpe Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) - Jeremy Smith Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2005-01 February 2005 51 pages ## Related research [Measuring the Appropriate Outcomes for Better Decision-Making: A Framework to Guide the Analysis of Health Policy Matthew Calver March 2016 | Report 2016-03 | 132 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-the-appropriate-outcomes-for-better-decision-making-a-framework-to-guide-the-analysis-of-health-policy-2016-03/) [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Christopher Ross November 2011 | Report 2011-17 | 124 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing-2011-17/) [Productivity: Key to Economic Success Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) March 1998 | Report 1998-01 | 99 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-key-to-economic-success/) [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? 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Key findings include: overall seasonality has declined since 1976 across a wide range of output and labour market variables, though unemployment rate seasonality has increased since 1996; seasonality is higher for young workers and men than for older workers and women; Canada’s employment seasonality was more than three times higher than the United States in 2003; and relative to OECD countries, Canada has average unemployment rate seasonality but very high employment seasonality. The report discusses policy implications including people versus place prosperity and policy approaches to address seasonal unemployment. Ce rapport examine la saisonnalité du marché du travail au Canada au cours des trois dernières décennies afin d’évaluer les politiques les mieux adaptées aux économies saisonnières. Les principaux constats comprennent : la saisonnalité globale a diminué depuis 1976 pour un large éventail de variables de production et de marché du travail, bien que la saisonnalité du taux de chômage ait augmenté depuis 1996; la saisonnalité est plus élevée chez les jeunes travailleurs et les hommes que chez les travailleurs plus âgés et les femmes; la saisonnalité de l’emploi au Canada était plus de trois fois supérieure à celle des États-Unis en 2003; et, par rapport aux pays de l’OCDE, le Canada affiche une saisonnalité moyenne du taux de chômage, mais une saisonnalité de l’emploi très élevée. Le rapport examine les répercussions politiques, y compris la question de la prospérité axée sur les personnes par rapport à celle axée sur les lieux, ainsi que les approches politiques pour lutter contre le chômage saisonnier. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2005-01-1.pdf)