The Canadian Employment Mobility Landscape: 46% of Canadians Might Move for Work, 55% Would Not Move for Any Circumstance

Toronto, ON - A new study conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of the Canadian Employee Relocation Council (CERC) and released today shows that, on average, 46% of Canadians might take a job or work contract that would force them to move to a new location.

The study put to respondents five different conceptual circumstances that might occur in allowing them to either take or consider a job involving mobility either within their province or outside of their province.

When averaging the results among the five concepts it's apparent that one in 10 (12%) have the greatest willingness to move and take whatever scenario is offered to them right away - "all things considered, I'd take the job". When averaging the results among the five concepts for the next group of respondents who "might be persuaded to take the job if the right conditions and incentives were in place", about one third (34%) fall into this category. As such, understanding the incentives that could be put in place for this group to actually become mobile should be a particular focus of the outcome of this study.

Of the nine possible government policy incentives tested that might assist Canadians in making their mobility employment choice, the top four embraced were:

• Allowing an employer to provide me with a tax-free housing allowance for up to six months to allow a person to be settled in the new location - 52%
• The ability for my employer to provide a nontaxable interest free loan of up to $100,000 for the purchase of a home in the new location - 43%
• Allowing a tax deduction for duplicate housing costs to a maximum of $10,000 per year for up to two years - 38%
• Providing a tax credit for the costs incurred in traveling to a location in order to obtain employment - 36%

The study surveyed 2,008 Canadians and was undertaken between March 18th and 20th, 2014 just prior to controversy swirled in the public domain concerning temporary foreign workers filling jobs in Canadian companies. The following are the key insights:

Taking a full-time job in the city in another province...

Respondents were asked to consider the proposition that they had a job opportunity in the near future that would mean relocating: "how willing would you be to take it based on the following - a full-time job in a city in another province or territory where you would have to relocate from where you live now for a minimum of two years with a 10% raise and paid moving expenses by your employer."

In total, 45% of Canadians expressed a willingness to move - 12% indicated that "all things considered, I would take the job" followed by 33% who indicated that "I might be persuaded to take the job if the right conditions and incentives were in place" with the remaining 55% indicating that they would "not consider or take the job under any circumstance".

Those indicating the most willingness to move hail from Ontario (47%) and Alberta (47%) followed by British Columbia/Saskatchewan/Manitoba each at 46%, Atlantic Canada (45%) and Quйbec (41%). Those indicating that all things considered they would take the job as offered are led by those from Atlantic Canada (17%) followed by those in Ontario/Alberta (13%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (11%) and British Columbia/Quйbec (10%). Those who might be persuaded to take the job if the right conditions and incentives were in place are foremost from British Columbia (36%) followed by those in Saskatchewan/Manitoba (35%), Alberta/Ontario (34%), Quйbec (32%) and Atlantic Canada (28%).

Of those currently employed, 54% would consider this proposition - 13% would take the job and another 41% might be persuaded to do so. Of those who are employed on a full-time basis, 56% would consider this opportunity - 13% would take the job and another 43% could be persuaded to do so while 50% of part-time employees (13% would take the job and another 35% might be persuaded to do so) would also consider the opportunity.

65% of those who consider themselves "underemployed" would consider taking the job immediately (19%) while another 46% might be persuaded to do so.

Of the 45% who indicated a willingness to move, a menu of incentives - on top of a 10% raise and paid moving expenses that had already been provided in the preamble - were offered for consideration that might further induce a positive decision to take the offer and move. Note that the results shown here are an average of the respondents and that there are variances to some degree between categorical groups (i.e. employed full-time/employed part-time). The following is a ranking of those chosen by respondents:

• A 10% raise on top of the 10% already offered - 48%
• A guarantee that you could move back to your current role after two years with further relocation assistance - 39%
• Assistance for your spouse/partner to obtain employment in the new city - 31%
• A trip to visit the city before the assignment so I could see what the city is like, paid for by my employer - 23%
• A one-time relocation allowance equivalent to 5% of your gross salary to cover incidental household expenses - 23%
• Provide temporary housing for up to four (4) weeks - 20%
• If you own a house/condo, would provide a sale or lease agent and would pay the difference in market value if sold at a loss - 18%
• A monthly car allowance - 16%
• Another week of vacation - 12%
• Education courses to upgrade your skills - 11%
• The main language spoken in the city of the new job is the same as my own - 10%
• Provide relocation consultant for home and school search - 9%
• Paid language training if necessary - 8%
• Provide assistance getting provincial accreditation for your profession - 7%
• Would pay for pet(s) to be shipped to the new address - 5%
• Would cover for loss on sale of autos (up to a maximum of two autos) - 4%

Taking a full-time job in a city in their own province where they would have to relocate...

Respondents were asked to consider the proposition that they had a job opportunity in the near future that would mean relocating to a full-time job in the city in their own province where they would have to relocate for a minimum of two years, far enough away that they would have to move, with a 10% raise and paid moving expenses.

A total of 53% of Canadians indicated a willingness to move - including 62% of employed individuals (66% employed full-time and 54% employed part-time) and 66% who are currently unemployed.

Of the 53% of Canadians surveyed, 17% indicated that "all things considered, I would take the job" followed by another 36% who indicated that they "might be persuaded to take the job if the right conditions and incentives were place".

Of the 53% indicating a willingness to move, the most were from Ontario (56%) followed by those in British Columbia/Alberta (55%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba/Atlantic Canada (50%) and Quйbec (49%). Those indicating that all things considered they'd take the job are most likely to be from British Columbia (20%) followed by those in Atlantic Canada (19%), Alberta (18%), Ontario (17%), Quйbec (14%) and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (11%). Those indicating that they might be persuaded to take the job if the right conditions and incentives were in place were foremost from Ontario (39%) followed by those in Saskatchewan/Manitoba (38%), Alberta (37%), British Columbia (35%), Quйbec (34%) and Atlantic Canada (31%).

Categorically, of those 62% of employed respondents, 16% indicated that all things considered they would take the job followed by another 46% who might be persuaded to do so if the right conditions and incentives were in place; of those full-time employed, 66% indicated a willingness to move (18% said they take the job and another 48% might be persuaded to do so) while a total of 54% of employed part-time individuals indicated a willingness to move - 13% who would take the job all things considered with another 42% who might be persuaded to do so.

Of the 53% who indicated a willingness to move, a menu of incentives - on top of a 10% raise and paid moving expenses that had already been provided in the preamble - were offered for consideration that might further induce a positive decision to take the offer and move. Note that the results shown here are an average of the respondents and that there are variances to some degree between categorical groups (i.e. employed full-time/employed part-time). The following is a ranking of those chosen by respondents:

• Another 10% raise on top of the 10% already offered - 48%
• A guarantee you could move back to your current role after two years with relocation assistance if you choose to do so - 47%
• A trip to visit the city before the assignment so I can see what the city is like, paid for by my employer - 25%
• If you own a house/condo, provide a sale or lease agent and would pay the difference in market value if sold at a loss - 23%
• Provide temporary housing for up to four (4) weeks - 23%
• A one-time relocation allowance equivalent to 5% of your gross salary to cover incidental household expenses - 20%
• A monthly car allowance - 20%
• Another week of vacation - 14%
• Education courses to upgrade your skills - 11%
• Provide relocation consultant for home and/or school search - 7%
• Pay for pet (s) to be shipped to new address - 7%
• Paid language training if necessary - 6%

For the full release, please download the "Press Release" file on the right side of the screen.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between March 18th to 20th, 2014 on behalf of the Canadian Employee Relocation Council (CERC). For this survey, a sample of 2,008 \Canadians (including n=1,140 employed Canadians overall, with n=817 being employed full-time and n=323 being employed part-time, and n=356 unemployed Canadians) from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points had all Canadians adults been polled, within +/- 3.3 percentage points had all employed Canadians been polled, within +/- 3.9 percentage points had all Canadians employed full-time been polled, within +/- 6.2 percentage points had all Canadians employed part-time been polled, and within +/- 5.9 percentage points had all unemployed Canadians been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416.324.2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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