Jim Stanford
Jim Stanford is Economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work, based in Vancouver, Canada. Jim is one of Canada’s best-known economic commentators. He served for over 20 years as Economist and Director of Policy with Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector trade union.
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Solid Wage Gains for Construction Workers Needed to Cement Productivity Gains
Paycheques for workers in Ontario’s booming construction industry are coming up short despite surging productivity and a sharp rise in building activity, a new report from the Centre for Future Work shows. Relative to consumer prices, the real purchasing power of construction wages has been stagnant in recent years even though real labour productivity in the sector has grown very strongly. Workers are generating more output and revenue for their employers, but not getting their fair share of the value they’re creating. Nominal wages in construction grew at an average rate of 1.9% over the last five years, considerably slower than broader wages in Ontario’s labour market (which grew at…
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Finance, Pensions, and the Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels
The Ontario Federation of Labour recently hosted Labour Confronts the Climate Crisis, a conference on the role of trade unions in fighting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, achieve a fair transition for workers in fossil fuel industries, and encourage the expansion of sustainable industries such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, and public transit. Speakers included Noam Chomsky, Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, Adrienne Buller, Seth Klein, and Simon Donner. As part of the conference, Centre for Future Work Director Jim Stanford gave a keynote presentation on the economics of energy transition, and the role of pension funds in supporting stronger climate policies and investments in sustainable industries. Here is a video of…
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10 Paid Sick Days Would Have Little Impact on Business Costs
A proposed 10-day paid sick leave policy in B.C. will increase overall business costs by just one-fifth of one percent. That’s the finding of new research from the Centre for Future Work. The new report, by Centre Director Jim Stanford, calculates the impact of the proposed policy on sick leave entitlements, absences, replacement staff costs, and bottom-line business expenses. The ultimate impact of paid sick days is estimated at just 0.21% of existing business expenses, and will have no measurable impact on overall competitiveness or profitability. The findings discredit claims by some business lobbyists that 10 days of paid sick leave would cause widespread bankruptcies and job loss. Moreover, these…
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Ideas Into Motion: Progressive Economics and Social Change Movements
Our research at the Centre for Future Work is motivated by a deep commitment to improving the jobs, working conditions, and living standards of working people in Canada and around the world. We combine our knowledge of economics, our quantitative and qualitative research, and our connections with trade unionists and social movements to develop arguments and evidence that supports campaigns for decent work, stronger communities, and sustainability. Our Director, Dr. Jim Stanford, was recently asked to contribute his ideas on the links between progressive economics and real-world social change movements for a forthcoming collection: The Handbook of Alternative Theories of Political Economy, edited by Frank Stilwell, Tim Thornton, and David…
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Austerity Can Make Debt Problems Worse
The health and economic side-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused major deficits, at both the federal and provincial levels of government. With vaccinations continuing and the economy rebounding, many commentators now argue for a quick retrenchment in government spending to reduce deficits and debt. Centre for Future Work Director Jim Stanford recently presented to the CARE Conference at Memorial University in St. John’s, Nfld., on the outlook for public finances after the pandemic. A commentary based on his presentation is published here, part of the Fair Reset blog series hosted by the Newfoundland & Labrador Federation of Labour. And a video recording of his presentation has also been posted…
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Canada’s Growing Jobs Advantage Over the U.S.
In September, Canada’s labour market reached a milestone: the total number of people employed finally regained (and slightly surpassed) the level when COVID hit back in February 2020. While this isn’t a full recovery, it is evidence of an encouraging rebound in work, participation, and incomes. In this commentary, originally published in the Toronto Star, Centre for Future Work Director Jim Stanford compares Canada’s employment rebound to the less impressive recovery south of the border. Far from inhibiting the rebound in employment (by ‘encouraging’ workers to stay at home instead of getting back to work), Canada’s more comprehensive income support measures have contributed to a stronger economic recovery. Canada’s job…
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Busting Myths about Technology and the Future of Work
We are constantly told that ‘technology’ is driving profound changes in work, workplaces and society. We might be concerned about the impacts of some of those changes, but since they are the result of ‘technology,’ and everyone since the Luddites knows you can’t stop technology, there is no point trying to resist or ameliorate those changes. But what is ‘technology’, anyway? We don’t live in the world of Terminator, where machines control society (not yet, anyway!). Technology is just a shorthand way of referring to the composite of human knowledge about how we work, what we produce, and the tools we use to produce it. Human beings, not some irresistible exogenous…
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Learning from Minimum Wage History
This week Ontario increased its provincial minimum wage by a whole dime: from $14.25 per hour to $14.35. Don’t spend it all in one place, oh ye minimum wage workers. That 0.7% wage increase, saved up for a whole week for a full-time employee, will get you a small latte at Starbucks. Or, for those with humbler tastes, two whole double-doubles at Timmie’s. Many commentators argued that such a stingy wage increase was offensive to the ‘essential’ workers whose humble but determined (and often dangerous) work is getting us through the pandemic: grocery store cashiers, building cleaners, fast food chefs, and delivery drivers. We learned that what they do is…
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Submission to Federal ‘Just Transition’ Consultation
The Centre for Future Work has made a submission to a public consultation hosted by Natural Resources Canada regarding the federal government’s future strategies for supporting the transition of fossil fuel jobs into alternative activities. The government asked for public input regarding the scope of the transition challenge, best practices for facilitating a gradual and supported transition, and potential future initiatives (like a proposed Advisory Body to advise federal transition policy). The submission was prepared by Jim Stanford, Director of the Centre for Future Work. It drew on extensive research published by the Centre earlier this year: Employment Transitions and the Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels. Major themes stressed in the…
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Employer Complaints of ‘Labour Shortage’ Lead to Attacks on Income Security
Employer organizations are stepping up complaints about a purported ‘labour shortage’ that they say is holding back Canada’s employment recovery. These complaints are typically accompanied by demands that government push more workers into the labour market – by cutting back income support programs (like Employment Insurance and the CRB), and increasing inflow of temporary foreign workers (hired in insecure roles with limited protections and low wages). In this commentary (originally published in the Toronto Star), Centre for Future Work Director disputes whether a labour shortage truly exists (given persistent high unemployment), and argues that improving wages and working conditions are better strategies for recruiting and retaining workers. Hard Data Does…