Thank you, Tracey.
The chart on slide 7 shows the total number of university graduates in Canada, by field of study, in 1992 and 2008. Fields of study are ranked by the total number of graduates in 2008. The top two fields of study in both 1992 and 2008 were business administration, management and public administration and the social and behavioural sciences and law.
Ranked at or near the bottom in terms of number of graduates in both years were mathematics, computer and information sciences and the physical and life sciences. Health-related fields of study and to a somewhat lesser extent, architecture and engineering, saw relatively large increases in the number of graduates between 1992 and 2008.
That being said, data for 2000, not shown in the chart, show that in the case of mathematics, computer and information sciences, the number of graduates stood at 6,000, a number that was much higher than in both 1992 and 2008. That was a reflection of the very high demand for workers in the high tech sector in the early 2000s. The number of graduates in that field then dropped off sharply in 2008, following the high tech bubble burst in the early 2000s, likely having an impact on the field of study choices made by students first entering university in 2003/2004.
Women accounted for 56% of those who graduated from university in 1992; by 2008, the female share had risen to over 60%. Women also increased their share of graduates from less than 50% in 1992 to over 50% in 2008 in physical and life sciences, and technologies, and agriculture, natural resources and conservation.
In fact, women have increased their share of university graduates such that, in 2007, they accounted for more than half of graduates in all fields of study, except for three: architecture and engineering; mathematics and computer sciences; and personal, protective and transportation services.
Let’s look at slide 8 now. The following chart presents the proportion of employed university graduates in low- to moderate-skill jobs. By low- to moderate-skill jobs, we refer to those classified as occupations that usually require secondary school and/or occupation-specific training as well as those where on-the-job training is usually provided.
This chart indicates that the proportion of university graduates employed in low- or moderate-skilled jobs—termed underutilization—has increased in the past two decades.
That being said, it is important to note that the rate of underutilization for Canadian-born graduates remains essentially unchanged: the increase in underutilization is almost entirely an immigrant phenomenon. This corresponds to an increasing earnings gap between Canadian-born and immigrant graduates. Not shown is that there is also an underutilization gap for women, but it is small compared to that for immigrants and shows no clear trend.
There you go.