What the U.S. Can Learn From Canada's High-Paying Jobs Recovery

As a resident of Toronto (hold the Rob Ford jokes), I often say there are many things the United States can learn from its northern neighbor. Thanks to its stable regulated banking and mortgage systems, Canada was able to sidestep many of the worst aspects of the 2008 economic and financial crisis. The country's sensible approach on gun control has made its cities, including Toronto, among the safest in the world (Doug Sanders of the Globe and Mail recently proposed that the country become an "urban safety" exporter). Its health-care system delivers better outcomes at a fraction of the costs. I could go on.

Another, less-talked about area where America has something to learn from Canada is employment. In the U.S., nearly one in five jobs (17.6 percent) generated over the course of the recovery have been low-wage temp jobs — a troubling trend I wrote about this past summer. But just over the border in Canada, temp positions made up less than 3 percent (2.7 percent) of the net jobs added to the economy between 2009 and 2013, according to a detailed analysis from my frequent collaborators at the economic modeling firm EMSI.