New agreement between Rogers Wireless and Workopolis
Workopolis and Rogers Wireless have just signed a new agreement: their customers can now consult job postings on Workopolis from their cell phones. Job seekers simply click on the Rogers Mall or Fido Store icon, then select the “News, Sports & More” category for access to Workopolis postings. The new service is available without having to pay data fees until May 31.
Executive recruiting reeling from crisis
The latest Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) numbers show that senior executive recruiting is also suffering from the impacts of the crisis. After five years of growth, industry revenues grew by only 3% in 2008, vs. 22% in 2007. The last quarter of 2008 were particularly tough, with a drop of 14% compared to this same period last year. The association notes that over this period, the number of search assignments also dropped by 21%. In North America and Europe, the decrease was 21.1%, 22% in the Asia Pacific region and 16.4% in Central and South America.
HRmarketer.com gives access to media via LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter
HRmarketer.com, a marketing and online visibility firm specializing in HR, has just launched a new feature that will give clients access to a database of hundreds of HR media and analysts. Detailed media profiles will allow clients to determine which journalists to address, who they will then be able to contact directly by clicking on their Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter profiles.
Excalibur: Tournament for future HR professionals
In order to sensitize organizations to the importance of planning for the next generation of the HR profession, the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés organized the 23rd edition of the Canada-wide Excalibur tournament on March 20 and 21. Supported by the Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations (CCHRA), this year’s tournament welcomed 70 students from 22 universities across the country. Students analyzed the business case of Ambulance New Brunswick in front of a jury of some 30 HR practitioners. The tournament was won by the HEC Montréal trio, followed by the team from the University of Alberta in second and Thompson Rivers University coming in third.
$75,000 to promote the mobility of nurses
The College of Licensed Practical Nurses has just been granted $75,000 to promote the mobility of nurses. Regulatory organizations from all the provinces and territories will meet to discuss inter-provincial mobility and the Canada-wide application of Chapter 7 (Labour Mobility) of the Agreement on Internal Trade. The federal government is aiming for full mobility for all workers, whether educated in Canada or abroad. To this end, the labour ministers must develop a national framework to accelerate the recognition of foreign diplomas by September 2009.
Alberta not spared by economic crisis
The effects of the recession are being felt in Alberta. According to the results of the third Hewitt Associates Salary Increase Survey, projections have been adjusted downward by almost 3% in that province. Conducted last month, the poll shows that 40 to 50% of Albertan employers have not yet finalized their salary increases. Last May, they were banking on an average increase of 5.13%. By October, this number had decreased to 3.96%, and it is now hovering between 2 and 2.5%, depending on the professional category. Out of 52 companies polled, 60% are in the energy and service sectors.
Gabriel Bouchard replaces Patrick Sullivan as president of Workopolis
Patrick Sullivan, president of Workopolis since 2003 is stepping down as of April 14th, he will be replaced by Gabriel Bouchard. <<the decision was reached by mutual agreement between Patrick Sullivan and the board of directors.>> According to the March 3 news release. Mr. Sullivan affirmed that he began to consider the possibility of leaving Workopolis some time ago. His successor, Gabriel Bouchard joined Workopolis in July 2008, as VP in strategic planning. An expert in online recruitment, having founded and occupying both the VP and general director’s office at Monster.ca for 13 years. Prior to that, he also occupied managerial positions for TMP Worldwide, an advertising agency specializing in recruitment.
54% of U.S. employers believe in green management
According to a survey by Buck Consultants, more than half of U.S. employers practise strategic environmental management. They survey analyzed the responses of 93 U.S. companies in the last quarter of 2008 on the types of green initiatives used in workforce management. The most common included using the Web or teleconferencing to cut down on travelling (78%), promoting ways to reduce paper use (67%) and implementing employee wellness programs to foster healthy lifestyles (68%).
15th annual Canadian Skills Competition
The next annual Canadian Skills Competition will be held in Charlottetown from May 20 to 23. The government of Prince Edward Island and the federal government have allocated over $850,000 to the event. The competition will be attended by 500 provincial and territorial champions, who will compete for the title of Canadian champion in more than 40 disciplines. Some 6,000 spectators are expected.
A quarter of Canadians fear for their job
According to an Ipsos Reid study in early February, 24% of Canadians are worried about losing their job. 40% of manufacturing employees and 27% of private sector workers are concerned, vs only 14% of the public sector employees. Moreover, half of the respondents deplored that their employer had not communicated with them about the current situation.
Agricultural sector severely impacted by the crisis
According to Statistics Canada, the Canadian agricultural sector lost more jobs than any other sector during the past 12 months. There were 307,800 agricultural workers in January 2009, or 32,600 fewer than a year ago, for a loss of 9.6% of its employees. Over the same period, the total number of employees in Canada rose by 1%.