A study published by the IRSST and the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ) is presenting data on youth employment during the school year. Students aged 15 to 19 are increasingly entering the labour market in Québec.

To prevent workplace injuries, it is important to gather evidence on the characteristics and trajectories of this population group. In 2013, the IRSST partnered with the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD) to incorporate a new series of questions on employment and occupational health and safety into the study’s 2013 round. The results presented in this study are based on analyses of QLSCD data collected in 2013, when the teenagers were about 15 years of age and most of them were in Secondary 3.

More specifically, this study’s objectives are:

• characterize youth labour market entry and the reasons students give for working or not working during the school year
• describe types of employment, numbers of hours worked and work schedules
• define working conditions; to take stock of occupational injuries and the means of increasing awareness about occupational risks
• compare the levels of involvement in school activities (school engagement) and the health of students who work during the school year with those who do not work.