There is a growing consensus that high-school completion is the prerequisite stepping stone to post-secondary education, now deemed essential to success in the labour market. Governments have plenty of evidence that well-educated citizens are more actively engaged in society: they tend to make better choices about factors that affect their quality of life (e.g., diet, smoking, exercise); and they earn higher incomes than those who are less educated. Less prominent in the mind of the public, but equally well-known among decision-makers, is the fact that well-educated and skilled people make important contributions to business innovation, productivity, and national economic performance. In an interconnected global economy, countries with more highly skilled workers have a distinct competitive advantage.
Canada’s recent performance on its high-school completion rate compares very favourably to its peer countries. Canada is second only to the U.S. in the high-school completion rate of its working age population.
Between 1989 and 2007, Canada increased its high-school completion rate by 16 percentage points (from 71 per cent to 87 per cent), maintaining an "A" throughout. Canadians have made high-school completion a priority. This accomplishment is driven less by official policy than by labour force entry-level requirements, social expectations (parents not wanting their children "left behind"), and overall prosperity (which reduces the need for early labour force entry). The education system has certainly encouraged "stay in school" programs, but broader economic and social factors have been more important than policy in contributing to Canada’s impressive performance on this indicator.
Both Belgium and Ireland have experienced the most—and identical—progress, with a 31 percentage point increase in their high school completion rates between 1989 and 2007 (from 37 per cent to 68 per cent).
Yet, at 68 per cent, both countries still have a relatively low proportion of population aged 25 to 64 with a high-school diploma. Both countries receive a “C” in 2007 on this indicator. A comparison of the levels of high-school completion in younger versus older age groups reveals the reason. More so in Belgium and Ireland than for their peers, the average completion rates are being dragged down by the low completion rates for people aged 55 to 64. In Ireland, for example, only 42 per cent of this population graduated from high school.
In countries where the older population has a relatively high level of educational attainment—the U.S. (87 per cent of people aged 55 to 64 have graduated from high school), Germany and Switzerland (81 per cent), and Canada (78 per cent)—differences between the younger and older age groups are less striking.
Use the pull-down menu to compare Canada’s high-school completion rate with that of its peers.
Although Canadian high-school graduates do well financially, recent graduates who enter the labour force directly are not faring as well. In previous generations, a high-school diploma was adequate for most jobs, including many well-paid jobs. The growing complexity of work in the global knowledge economy and the rising rates of post-secondary completion in Canada, however, have reduced the relative value of a high-school diploma. Many employers now specify post-secondary education as a minimum qualification for employment, even if a degree or college diploma exceeds the actual skills requirements of their entry-level jobs.
The Conference Board developed an employability skills profile that outlines the skills, attitudes, and behaviours that individuals need to participate and progress in today’s dynamic world of work. Understanding and applying these skills will help individuals to enter, stay in, and progress in the world of work.
The Conference Board also developed an employability skills toolkit—a suite of practical tools to help individuals identify and reflect on their skills, plan skills development activities, implement development plans and practice their skills, and document and market their skills for best success.
Interested in accessing these documents?
Employability Skills 2000+, Ottawa: The Conference Board of Canada.
Employability Skills Toolkit, Ottawa: The Conference Board of Canada.