The changing structure of the workplace will be explored at a workshop that will be held at UNBC this coming Friday and Saturday. In particular, the workshop will focus on casual work and include perspectives from British Columbia, Canada, and the world. Casual work describes temporary jobs that normally last no more than six months.
"In BC, about 9.4% of men and 11.7% of women between the ages of 20 and 64 are engaged in casual work and it’s interesting to note that, even though our economy is currently hot, the prevalence of casual work has been growing more in BC than in the rest of the country," says Economics professor Fiona MacPhail, one of the organizers of this week’s workshop. "It has also been rising more for women than men and we’ll be examining the factors behind these trends. We don’t want to examine BC in isolation so participants will be attending from across Canada, the US, Australia, Japan, and Europe. In particular, we’re keen to understand the link between casual work and economic security."
The keynote presentation on Economic Security and Casual Work will be presented by Guy Standing from the International Labour Organization in Geneva. His talk will be on Friday, September 15, at 9:15am in the Bentley Centre. Other sessions will focus on Canadian and international experiences with casual work and the progression from casual work to economic security. The full conference program follows this news release.
Note: the workshop is at capacity for public attendance, but the media are welcome to attend. Contact Dr. MacPhail to arrange an interview with any of the conference presenters."How have technological change, globalization, society, and government regulations affected casual work?" asks Dr. MacPhail. "Answering these questions will help us to evaluate emerging policy responses that might improve the economic well-being of people engaged in casual work."
Contact:
Fiona MacPhail, Economics professor, UNBC – 250.960.6660
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC – 250.960.5622
Conference Program
SEPTEMBER 15, 2006
09:00-09:15 Opening Remarks
Dr. Howard Brunt, Vice-President Academic and Provost
09:15-10:30 Session 1: Casual Work and Economic Security
Chair: Fiona MacPhail
"Economic Security and Casual Work"
Guy Standing, International Labour Organization, Geneva
Discussants: Alex Michalos, FRSC, University of Northern British Columbia
Marjorie Griffin Cohen, Chair, Women’s Studies, Simon Fraser University
11:00-12:30 Session 2: Canadian Experiences I: National Overviews
Chair: Paul Bowles
"Temporary Employment and Social Inequality in Canada"
Leah Vosko, CRC, Political Science, York University, and Sylvia Fuller, Sociology and Anthropology, University of British Columbia
Discussant: David Green, UBC
"Transitions from Non-Standard Work in Canada"
Tony Fang, York University
Discussant: Francis Green, University of Kent, UK
12:30-13:30 Lunch - Bentley Centre
13:30-15:00 Session 3: Canadian Experiences II: Provincial Case Studies
Chair: Sylvia Fuller
"From Casual Work to Economic Security: British Columbia, Canada"
Fiona MacPhail, Economics, University of Northern British Columbia and Paul Bowles, Economics, University of Northern British Columbia
Discussant: John Burgess, Business, University of Newcastle
"From Casual Work to Economic Security: Ontario"
Richard Chaykowski, School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University and George Slotsve, Northern Illinois University
Discussant: Fred Cuddington, Saskatchewan Commission on Improving Working Conditions
15:30-17:00 Session 4: Canadian Experiences III: Case Studies on Types of Workers
Chair: David Green
"Immigrants and Casual Work in British Columbia: Prospects for Increasing Economic Security"
Habiba Zaman, Women’s Studies, Simon Fraser University
Discussant: Tony Fang, School of Administrative Studies, York University
"Self-employment in Quebec: Prospects for Increasing Economic Security"
Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay, CRC in the Socio-organizational Challenges of the Knowledge Economy, Université du Québec à Montréal
Discussant: David Fairey, Trade Union Research Centre, Vancouver
SEPTEMBER 16, 2006
9:30-12:00 Session 4: International Experiences I
Chair: Marjorie Griffin Cohen
"Temporary Employment and Transnational Labour Regulation"
Leah Vosko, CRC.Political Science, York University
Discussant: Stephen McBride, Political Science, Simon Fraser University
"From Casual Work to Economic Security: U.S and Japan Compared"
Heidi Gottfried, Sociology, Wayne State University, Detroit
Discussant: Seth Klein, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
"Legal Protection and Advocacy for Casual Workers in the U.S. "
Rebecca Smith, National Employment Law Project
Discussant: Blair Redlin, Research Representative, CUPE
12:00-13:00 Lunch – Upper Level, Cafeteria
13:00-15:00 Session 5: International Experiences II
Chair: Stephen McBride
"From Casual Work to Economic Security: The UK"
Francis Green, University of Kent
Discussant: George Slostve, Northern Illinois University
"From Casual Work to Economic Security: Australia"
John Burgess, School of Business, University of Newcastle, Australia
Discussant: Habiba Zaman, Simon Fraser University
15:30-16:30 Session 6: Pathways From Casual Work to Economic Security
Chair: Paul Bowles
Roundtable discussion
Guy Standing, International Labour Organization
Marjorie Griffin Cohen, Simon Fraser University
Leah Vosko, York University
John Burgess, Newcastle University
Francis Green, University of Kent
16:30-17:00 Session 7: Publication plans
Discussion led by Fiona MacPhail and Paul Bowles
