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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To Each According to their Need: The Morality of Vaccinations
The accelerating roll-out of COVID vaccines has stirred optimism among Canadians that the pandemic may be entering its last stages. An interesting dimension of the roll-out is the strong consensus among Canadians that the most at-risk Canadians should get vaccinated first: older Canadians, residents of long term care facilities, front-line workers, Indigenous people, prisoners, and others. In this commentary, a version of which was originally published in the Toronto Star, Jim Stanford considers the implications of this moral position – and wonders why we don’t apply the same principle (“To Each According to Their Need”) in other areas of economic life. By Jim Stanford Excitement over the rollout of COVID…
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Uber ‘Benefits’ Plan Aimed at Forestalling Real Change
Debate over the treatment of ride-share drivers, food delivery riders, and other workers in the gig economy continues to heat up, as governments around the world enact new policies to extend basic employment protections to those workers. The Centre for Future Work is consulting with groups like Gig Workers United and Ridefair Toronto on policies to close the loopholes that currently allow gig platforms to evade normal employment responsibilities. The following commentary was written by Centre for Future Work Director Jim Stanford in response to a new initiative by Uber to offer limited ‘benefits’ to its workers. By Jim Stanford It is not often that employers complain about workers being…
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Second Wave of COVID Job Losses Just as Unfair as the First
Commentary on January 2021 employment data by Jim Stanford: With most of Canada fighting a bigger, deadlier second wave of COVID infection, labour markets in most provinces are suffering the consequences. Employment began to shrink in December. But jobs data for January released by Statistics Canada confirm that the economy is sliding into a second dip, to match the second wave of the pandemic. Both the scale of job loss, and their painfully unfair distribution, are heartbreaking. And the new numbers reinforce findings from our first PowerShare report: 10 Ways the COVID Pandemic Must Change Work for Good. The worst impacts are being felt by workers in lower wage, insecure…
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The Revolution Will Not be Led by Day Traders
Global financial markets have been roiled since the New Year by dramatic surges in shares of several companies – even more gut-wrenching than the usual twists and turns of the paper markets. The rise and quick fall of GameStop shares was the most stunning; some observers attributed its volatility to a “populist” attack (by small-scale retail traders) on the elite bastions of high finance. Jim Stanford begs to differ: in this commentary (originally published in the Toronto Star), he argues the growing popularity of day-trading is not challenging the dominance of financial elites… it is reinforcing it. GameStop Shenanigans Only Enriched the Wealthy By Jim Stanford For a few exhilarating…
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Video Presentation on Building Better Jobs After COVID
Centre for Future Work Director Jim Stanford recently participated in the Cannexus21 conference, hosted by CERIC (a non-profit organization that promotes career counselling and career development in Canada). His topic was how to create better jobs, and a stronger labour market, after the COVID pandemic and its catastrophic impacts on workers – especially workers in low-wage, insecure jobs. The presentation updates material from our earlier paper, 10 Ways the COVID Pandemic Must Change Work for Good, published through our PowerShare project. Here is a link to his 30-minute presentation, followed by a few questions from the audience. https://youtu.be/hb_Sa51OSic We are grateful to CEIC and Cannexus for the opportunity to participate…
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Media and Video Coverage of Fossil Fuel Transition Report
The Centre for Future Work recently released a major report, commissioned by Environmental Defence, analyzing the labour market implications of the accelerating transition to renewable energy systems and away from fossil fuels. The report generated significant media coverage and related video and educational resources. Here are some links: Commentary in Globe and Mail summarizing main arguments. Feature on CBC TV’s Power and Politics discussing fossil fuel transitions in light of the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline. Dr. Jim Stanford on Power and Politics Feature on CBC Radio’s What on Earth program discussing the report and how fair employment transitions can be supported. Feature article in Alberta Politics on…
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Delaying Makes the Transition Worse
Fossil fuel industries have already shed 50,000 jobs since 2014, as private employers respond to falling prices and falling profits by sacking workers, restructuring operations, and automating production. So far this transition away from fossil fuel employment has been driven by the profit-maximizing decisions of companies – without the planning and support required to reduce dislocation and take full advantage of alternative job opportunities. In this commentary originally published in the Globe and Mail, Jim Stanford argues a gradual, planned transition, with ample supports for early retirement, retraining, relocation, and income stability, could ensure that the switch to renewable energy sources occurs without lay-offs and community distress. The commentary summarizes…
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Best Way to Protect the Economy is to Protect Human Health
Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be hampered by the false belief among some government leaders that restricting activity and movement will “damage” the economy. In fact, growing international evidence confirms that there is no “trade-off” between protecting health and protecting the economy: in fact, they go together. In this column originally published in the Toronto Star, Jim Stanford explains: Health and the Economy Go Hand in Hand By Jim Stanford With new stay-at-home orders covering many parts of the country, Canadians are settling in for several more weeks (at least) of daunting isolation. Restrictions are being tightened to slow the spread of COVID, until vaccines can turn…
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Transition Plan for Workers can Prevent Unemployment as Fossil Fuels are Phased Out
New research from the Centre for Future Work demonstrates that with prudent long-term planning, the coming phase-out of fossil fuel production and use can be managed without causing unemployment for fossil fuel workers. Employment Transitions and the Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels, by Jim Stanford (Economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work) shows that fossil fuel industries directly account for 170,000 jobs in Canada – less than 1% of total employment. A 20-year phase-out of fossil fuels implies an annual reduction of fossil fuel employment of around 8,500 jobs annually: the number of jobs typically created by the Canadian economy every ten days. With a clear timetable for phase-out,…
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Global Manifesto to Democratize Work
The COVID pandemic has painfully reminded us of the lack of genuine power that most workers have in their working lives. As soon as COVID began to spread, it was immediately obvious that workplaces were very vulnerable to contagion – yet employers and government regulators were very slow to address the threat with adequate and meaningful protective measures. Compelled by economic necessity, and lacking organized voice and bargaining power, workers literally risk their lives to continue performing their duties – often for poverty-level wages, in dangerous conditions. If workers had real say over how their workplaces operate, they could demand and win obvious and important changes to make their jobs…