Definitions

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D
Data A collection of facts, statistics or information, which can be descriptive (qualitative data) or numerical (quantitative data). Data are often gathered and analyzed as a way of understanding and describing why an event has occurred (e.g., a decline in school enrolments) or the characteristics of something (e.g., employment trends in a particular occupation).
Degree A qualification awarded after satisfactory completion of a program of advanced study. Examples of degrees: bachelor of science (B.Sc.); master of social work (MSW).
Demand As used in reference to the labour market, means the number and type of workers that an employer needs to be able to produce a particular quantity and type of good or service.
Demographics Information about human populations based on statistics and usually focused on the number of people and their age, sex, education level, etc.
Development regions Broad areas of the province of British Columbia for which economic and labour-related data are collected, analyzed and monitored. The eight development regions in British Columbia are: Vancouver Island/Coast, Mainland/Southwest, Thompson-Okanagan, Kootenay, Cariboo, North Coast, Nechako and Northeast. (Note: Because the populations of North Coast and Nechako are smaller, data for these regions are combined and reported for “North Coast & Nechako.”) Also known as economic region.
Diploma A qualification awarded after satisfactory completion of a program of study. Typically takes from one to three years to complete.
Distance education A means of teaching courses to students who are unable to or prefer not to attend campus- or school-based study. The Internet and other technology are often used to enable communication and the exchange of materials between instructors and students.
Doctorate The highest level of post-secondary education granted in most countries. Doctor of philosophy (PhD), doctor of medicine (MD) and doctor of law (LLD) are three common types of doctorate. Earning a doctorate usually involves at least two and a half years of supervised research and completion of a dissertation (an advanced thesis).
Duties (export, import) Taxes imposed on various types of imported or exported goods.
Duties (of the job position) Tasks or services a person is assigned to do on the job.