1. Laura Lamb & Belayet Hossain Thompson Rivers University Kamloops, BC Canada 1

2.  Aboriginal Canadians live at a lower level of economic development than non-Aboriginal Canadians.  labour force status is consistently considered to be a critical factor. 2

3.  Employment is one of the most fundamental ways people participate in society, and the basis of self-respect and autonomy (Mendelson, 2004)  Employment is incorporated in many measures of well-being. (CWB Beavon & Cooke, 2003) 3

4.  Identify the socio-economic and demographic determinants of the labour force status of Aboriginal Canadians  Broader definition of capital ◦ Health status ◦ Social capital 4

5.  A component of human capital  Health status → labour market productivity →labour force participation  Past research on health and employment ◦ Stephens (2010), Latif (2006) 5

6.  Networks and social relations are instrumental for labour market success (Woolcock, 2001)  Past research on social capital and employment ◦ White et al.(2003), Matthews et al. (2009), Grenier & Xue (2009) 6

7.  Aboriginal Canadians with higher levels of human capital, as indicated by educational attainment and health status, and a high level of social capital are more likely to have full- time employment and less likely to not be in the labour force. 7

8.  2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS), Statistics Canada  18,165 observations (age 20+)  Multinomial probit model ◦ Dependent variable: employment status  NILF not in labour force  UEunemployed  PTpart time employment  FTfull time employment 8

9. Human Capital education, health status Social Capital Socio-demographic gender, age, marital status, children, region, Aboriginal status, income support 9

10. 10

11. Good/Excellent Health Fair/Poor Health 11

12. Strong Social CapitalWeak Social Capital 12

13. NILFUEPTFT Base0.2310.0470.1300.591 Human Capital High school0.1300.0440.1210.705 Some post-sec0.1610.0400.1220.677 Complete post-sec0.0600.0410.1240.774 Some university0.1500.0260.1960.627 Complete University0.0710.0180.1240.787 Health Status-0.0280.0620.1270.836 Social Capital 0.1750.0330.682 13

14. Socio-demographic variables NILFUEPTFT Base0.2310.0470.1300.591 Gender0.1040.0560.0590.780 Age 25-340.180.0300.0740.711 Age 35-440.1140.0240.0650.797 Age 45-540.1430.0160.0610.780 Age 55+0.4730.0070.0660.455 Married0.2200.0390.1340.606 1-2 children0.2280.0590.1260.588 >2 children0.2970.0460.1490.508 Rural0.2710.0680.1310.530 Arctic0.2190.1100.1010.570 Registered status0.2590.0640.1170.561 Income support0.1400.0390.1250.696 14

15.  Completion of post-secondary (university or non-university) is important for attaining full-time employment.  Good health has the largest impact on full- time employment.  Strong social capital has a significant impact on the probability of attaining full-time employment. 15

16.  Predicted probability of being employed full- time is positively affected by ◦ Male gender ◦ Age 25-54 ◦ Income support  Predicted probability of being employed full- time is negatively affected by ◦ >2 children ◦ Rural residence ◦ Registered Indian status 16

17.  The likelihood of not being in the labour force decreases with ◦ level of education ◦ strong social capital ◦ good health  The likelihood of being unemployed decreases with ◦ level of education ◦ strong social capital 17

18.  Results suggest greater recognition for the role of good health & social capital in policies developed to improve labour force participation of Aboriginal Canadians. 18

19.  Results suggest that future research in this area may want to include a broader definition of capital to include social capital and health.  Examine role of capital with multiple variables to capture full impact of networks and relationships.  Include other variables such as parental education and intermarriage. 19