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It is a fact of the Canadian labour market that the pay gap between men and women continues to define the lives of women in the workplace.

The rise in precarious work has had a disproportionate impact on racialized workers, women, Aboriginal people, persons with disabilities, and young people. Characteristics of these types of employment include low pay, no job security, poor and often unsafe working conditions, intensive labour, excessive hours and low or no benefits. More and more workers are resorting to employment service agencies to find work leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and wage theft.

Good jobs should address the interaction of race, gender, disability, LGBTQ, Aboriginal and immigrant status on labour market outcomes. These factors represent a persistent gap in access to employment, unemployment and under employment, as well as income.

Numerous studies have documented the prevalence of systemic discrimination in employment. Women, workers of colour, Aboriginal people, workers with disabilities and LGBTQ workers are subject to differential treatment in the labour market.

Income disparities arising from unequal access to labour markets have an adverse effect on a wide range of social indicators of well-being, including a person’s health status, housing status, educational attainment, and political participation.

In the aftermath of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, representatives from government, business and labour in Korea (‘Tripartite Commission’) established the Social Pact for Job Creation, which was a basket of social, economic and industrial policies meant to foster growth.

Some examples of the recommendations, which came in four broad categories, include the following:

Nationally, President Obama’s Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), launched in 2011, brings together industry, academia and government to invest in emerging technologies, including information technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology, all with a view to renewing America’s manufacturing capabilities.

Statoil was created in 1972 to harvest the enormous oil reserves discovered in the North Sea in 1969. Extensive public debate led to the conclusion that Norway’s petroleum wealth should be a means to economic, social and industrial development.

This commitment was enshrined in the ‘Ten Oil Commandments’, some of which include:

In 1990 Norway established its Sovereign Wealth Fund (formally called ‘Government Pension Fund — Global’ or GPFG) to act as a financial resource for the country’s five million inhabitants. Unlike a conventional pension plan the GPFG is financially supported by the oil profits of Statoil, Norway’s publically owned petroleum company.

While other OECD countries have youth unemployment rates (well) above the labour market average, Switzerland has youth unemployment of just three percent (the EU average is 23 percent). Part of the reason appears to be the apprenticeship program, which graduates roughly 70 percent of Swiss youth (aged 15 to 24).

Germany’s ‘dual’ apprenticeship system is comprised of an education component and a practical or training component. The system is in place for nearly 350 recognized occupations and lasts anywhere from two to three-and-a-half years.

“More than ever before, Canadians play many different roles in their lives. They are workers, parents, spouses, friends, caregivers of elderly relatives and volunteers in their communities. They must also make room in their lives for taking care of their own physical and mental well-being. Not surprisingly, achieving balance among all these competing priorities can be difficult.” Canadian Mental Health Association

Any conversation about good jobs must include a conversation about the health and welfare of workers. Workplace safety has always been a strong determinant of decent work. Simply put, a good job is a safe job.