The quality of employment among recent post-secondary graduates in Canada: Determinants and trends over time

Prompted by the numerous upheavals in the labour market and drawing on Cloutier's (2008) typology, we examined changes in the quality of employment for recent post-secondary graduates in Canada between 1992 and 2007. We also assessed the influence of new graduates' level of education, field of study and gender on the quality of their employment. Our results indicate that the dimensions of pay, job stability and qualifications had weakened by 2007 compared with 1992. As for the second objective, we found that level of education and field of study are significant determinants of the four dimensions of job quality considered. A higher level of education increases annual pay and the likelihood of holding a full-time job. Furthermore, our results show that the labour market particularly values fields of study that enable students to acquire professional skills. Pay, the chances of holding a full-time job and the likelihood of securing a skilled job are relatively higher for graduates in these fields.