Six in Ten (58%) Working Canadians `Agree' that if they Lost Their Job, They Could Find Work in Their Field with Comparable Pay; Four in Ten (42%) Could Find Comparable Pay in a Different Field

Toronto, ON - If they lost their job tomorrow, six in ten (58%) working Canadians `agree' (17% strongly/41% somewhat) that they could easily find work in their field with comparable compensation, according to a new poll by Ipsos Reid, the final in a series on workplace attitudes, conducted exclusively for Postmedia News and Global Television. However, four in ten (42%) working Canadians aren't so confident, `disagreeing' (14% strongly/28% somewhat) that they could find work in their field at comparable pay.

Interestingly, younger workers are the most likely (61%) to think they'd be able to find work in their field, while middle aged (59%) and older workers (47%) are less likely to think so. Workers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (73%) were most likely to think they could find another job with comparable pay, followed by those in Alberta (64%), Quebec (63%), British Columbia (59%), Atlantic Canada (54%) and Ontario (49%).

Workers appear less confident, overall, that their skills could land them another job in a different field, with comparable compensation. Just four in ten (43%) `agree' (10% strongly/33% somewhat) that they could easily find work in a different field, with comparable compensation, while six in ten (57%) `disagree' (18% strongly/38% somewhat) that they could. While a slim majority (51%) of younger workers think they could find this kind of work, only a minority of middle-aged (40%) or older (37%) workers say the same. Regionally, residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (65%) are most confident that they could find another job, even in another field, followed by those living in Quebec (49%), British Columbia (45%), Atlantic Canada (39%), Alberta (39%), and Ontario (36%).

Two-thirds (66%) say that they `work just as hard - not harder or less hard - than they did when they were younger', with workers of all ages falling close to the national average. One quarter (23%) of Canadians say that `they work harder now than they did when they were younger' with those 18-34 (29%) most likely to say this, compared to those 35-54 (19%) who were the least likely. Only one in ten (11%) say `they don't work quite as hard now as they did when they were younger'. Interestingly, workers aged 55+ (16%) were the most likely to think this way while those 18-34 (6%) were the least likely.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between July 10 and 13, 2012, on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television. For this survey a samples of 1,005 Canadians from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online (of which 527 are employed). 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. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Canada been polled, or +/- 4.2 percentage points for the sample of workers. 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:

Sean Simpson
Associate Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
416.572.4474
[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.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

With offices in 84 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,363 billion (1.897 billion USD) in 2011.

Visit www.ipsos-na.com to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.