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Recession reduces number of students with jobs

Overall employment rate for post-secondary students drops from 48% to 45%.

Ottawa (1 Oct. 2010) - The national employment rate for post-secondary students dropped slightly in 2009-10.

A Statistics Canada report says the number of post-secondary students working during the school year dropped from a level of 48% to 45% as a result of the economic recession.

A total of 542,000 students aged 15 to 24 held jobs during the period surveyed. Despite the decline, the percentage was far higher than the 1970s when only 25% of students were employed.

Students worked one hour less per week on average after the downturn.

Women represented 56% of the post-secondary student population in 2009-2010. About 50% of women had a job while at school compared with 40% of men. Nearly all worked in the service sector (96%), including 36% in retail and 18% in food services.

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