RDC News: September 2014

New Fall Hours - back to usual schedule!

With the new school year starting, Mills Library is moving back to its regular hours once again. Please note: extended hours begin again on Thursday, September 4th. Please consult the schedule for Mills Library for more information.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Social Assistance Data - Pilot Project
The Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services, together with the RDCs, is conducting a new pilot project. Researchers with approved projects will be able to access data for the Ontario Works Program or the Ontario Disability Support Program. This would be a valuable resource for those interested in disability, incentives to work, and employment outcomes. Proposals must be submitted by September 25, 2014. Please see the attached Call for Proposals for further details.

New data sets at the RDC:
In the upcoming weeks we will be receiving new data sets and surveys at the McMaster Research Data Centre. Please see the information below. Researchers interested in accessing these data sets are encouraged to submit proposals! 

Employment Insurance Coverage Survey (EICS) - 2012
The Employment Insurance Coverage Survey paints a picture of those who do and do not have access to El benefits, specifically among the jobless and those in situations of underemployment. The survey was designed to identify groups with low probability of receiving benefits, such as the long-term jobless, students and new entrants into the labour market, those becoming unemployed after uninsured employment, those leaving jobs voluntarily, and those who are eligible for benefits but do not claim or receive them. Detailed descriptions provided include the characteristics of the last job held, reasons for not claiming/receiving benefits, job search intensity, alternate sources of income, and more. Also included in this survey is information on access to maternity and parental benefits, including data on the proportion of mothers receiving benefits, the reason some mothers do not, the timing and circumstances related to returning to work, and the income adequacy of households with young children. This survey will be of particular interest to those working in income inequality, workforce participation, and labour studies.

For further details please go to the information page on the Employment Insurance Coverage Survey at the Statistics Canada website: http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl? Function=getSurvey&SDDS=4428

Recently profiled datasets:

Data sets that have been recently received by the RDC and profiled in the newsletter include:
the Aboriginal Peoples' Survey (APS)
the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) - mental health component
the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) - annual component (2013 data)
the Vital Statistics Databases (Birth, Death, Stillbirth)
CCHS: Rapid response on food skills, 2012
the Canadian Cancer Registry (CCR)
the Longitudinal Survey of Adults (LISA) the National Household Survey (NHS), 2011
the Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD)

A reminder that all of these data sets are available now through the RDC!