Canadians well educated, eh

By The Canadian Press

Canadians are among the best educated in the world, says an annual study measuring education levels among developed countries.

The report, released last week by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, says 43% of Canadians aged 25 to 64 have some form of post-secondary education -- more than citizens of any other industrialized country and almost double the OECD average of 23%.

The United States is next with 38%, according to the 450-page-plus report entitled Education at a Glance.

Eighty-three per cent of Canadians have graduated from high school, compared with the OECD average of 65%, it says.

"In terms of education level of the general population, it's a very positive story for Canada," Michael Davidson, an analyst with the Paris-based organization, told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview.

But higher education comes with a cost. Davidson says 2.5% of Canada's gross domestic product is spent on post-secondary education. Only the United States and Korea spend more -- 2.7% in both.

The report indicates there is good news for an increasing population of educated Canadian. The unemployment rate for Canadians with post-secondary education has slipped to 4.4% in 2002 from 5.3% in 1995.

"The economy does seem to be able to sustain those increased levels of education," Davidson said.

But the news is less encouraging on the gender front.

While inequality in wages between men and women is a global trend, Canada is behind some of its OECD peers in bridging the gap.

For example, Canadian women aged 30 to 44, with upper-secondary and some post-secondary education, on average earn 59% of what their male counterparts rake in. The OECD average for this group is 65%.

American women in the same category earn 61%. Overseas, it ranges from 84% in Hungary to 50% in both Britain and Switzerland.

The 30-country OECD develops the annual rankings as a means for industrialized countries to measure their education systems against those of their global peers.

The report relies mostly on data from 2002 and 2001, although its achievement figures date to 2000. Organizers say those are the latest numbers available.

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