Download Employment Trends

Employment Trends and Patterns
• Social Sciences aim for a rational and
systematic understanding of human society.
• They are concerned with the origin and development of
human society, and the institutions, relationships, and ideas
involved in social life.
• Including:
anthropology psychology
•
sociology
economics
•
political science
law
•
criminology
Anthropology: A Definition
Anthropology is the scientific study of all aspects of human life
and culture
 Anthropology examines such topics as how people live,
what they think, what they produce, and how they interact with
their environments.
Anthropologists try to understand the full range of human
diversity as well as what all people share in common.
Anthropology is based on three key concepts: society, culture,
and evolution.
Psychology: A Definition
Psychology is the scientific study of individual behaviour and
the mind.
 psychology is a scientific enterprise that obtains knowledge
through systematic and objective methods of observation and
experimentation.
 psychologists study behaviour, which refers to any action or
reaction that can be measured or observed—such as the blink of
an eye, an increase in heart rate, or the unruly violence that often
erupts in a mob.
 psychologists study the mind, which refers to both conscious
and unconscious mental states. These states cannot actually be
seen, only inferred from observable behavior.
Sociology: A Definition
Sociology is the scientific study of group behaviour or human
social relations.
 Sociologists examine the ways in social structures and
institutions - family; class; community; power - and social
problems - such as crime and abuse - influence society.
 The field focuses on how and why people are organized in
society, either as individuals or as members of associations,
groups, and institutions, they look at statistics and trends
The following should be review of Chapter 7.3
of your textbooks.
Make sure you are familiar with the key
concepts
Canada’s Economic Sectors
•In the 17th and 18th centuries, wheat boom and railway of 1885
opened the west to the rest of Canada, mining and wheat
production flourish(primary sector)
•First half of 20th century industrialized, 1st and 2nd world wars
stimulated industrial expansion, factories(secondary sector)
•Today, 74% of all jobs provide services(tertiary sector)
Demography
The study of populations
Since Canada experienced the baby boom(1946-1966), the mid
60’s had a large labour force thus no need for new technology
This was the opposite in Japan, small labour force, thus needed
technology, it eventually led the world in automotive and
electronic products.
North America, needed to increase technology to keep up with
the Japan (even though they had a large workforce)
Canada’s New Economy
Some say that this new cutthroat competitive economy will be
controlled by a few multinational corporations
While optimists say that the new economy will allow high
employment and productivity.
New Technology, re-engineering of industries (minimal clerical
work/assembly-line workers needed)
Telecommuting, a trend resulting from cell phones, faxes, and
the internet.
How will this affect humans? What would Psychologists,
Sociologists and Anthropologists have to say about this?
Shift in career paths
• Linear- receive as much education, start with
entry level position and climb the ‘job ladder’
• Steady-state-lifetime career ex. Doctor,
professor
• Spiral-employee spirals up the corporate
structure, laterally with various positions
• Transitory-pursue whatever occupation
necessary to get a job ex. Personal shopper,
pet walker
The future
• Talk of raising maximum hours per week
from 48 to 60
• Highly skills computer literate workers will
be in demand, lower-level clerical jobs-not
so much
• Career changes, upgrading of skills, service
sector employment increases(why?),flexible
working conditions, unemployment rate
Results
• Social Scientists have noticed a disturbing
trend: The poorest fifth of Canada’s
income-receiving population became poorer
between 1989 and 1998, government
assistance, child tax benefits and tax relief
have decreased (Statistics Canada, 1998)
• What would a Sociologist say about the
economic trend?
• What would an Anthropologist say about
the economic trend?
• What would a Psychologist say about the
economic trend?