Jobboom for sale?
The Canoe portal, a Quebecor Media subsidiary, may sell its career and dating sites—jobboom.com and reseaucontact.com. The reason is the absorption of Canoe by Sun Media, involving a Canada-wide expansion strategy. Reseaucontact.com is only profitable in Quebec, however, while jobboom.com, whose readers are primarily white-collar workers, does not match the Sun Media target public, which is mainly blue collar.
A few milestones in Jobboom’s history:
- January 31, 2006: Jobboom II
- July 21, 2007: Jobboom overhauls its home page
- September 5, 2007: Jobboom tops threshold of 2 million members
Income gap between Canadians and Americans decreasing
According to Statistics Canada, Canadian per capita income was 92% of the U.S. level in 2008, vs. 85% in 2002 and 83% in 1995. Between 2002 and 2008, per capita income increased 17% in Canada, or double that of the U.S. (8%). Researchers conclude that this improvement is due to the increase in export vs. import prices, whereby Canadian products were exchanged for foreign goods on increasingly more favourable terms.
Hiring: a positive outlook for early 2010
Canadian employers foresee a favourable hiring climate between January and March 2010, according to the quarterly Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. The net forecast for Q4 2009 is 7%, and 13% for the first quarter 2010. The finance and commerce sectors are expected to be hiring the most during this period.
IT labour crunch could get worse with the recovery
According to a study by Deloitte and CIO Magazine published December 8, companies are facing a growing information technology labour crunch. The worldwide study of 306 IT and business leaders, had 100 respondents in North America, including 30 in Canada. Despite the recession, most managers said that many key positions are still hard to fill. The situation could get worse with the economic recovery, since the majority of IT departments polled plan on hiring over the next three to five years—47% of respondents expect to see at least 5% annual growth in the IT workforce during this period.
Quebec minimum wage goes up 50 cents
In mid-December, Quebec’s Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity announced an increase in the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour as of May 1, 2010, representing an increase of 5.56%, while inflation is forecast to go up 1.2%. More than 320,000 workers, 60% of whom are women, will benefit from this measure. In 2009, 91% of minimum-wage workers worked in the service sector, primarily retail and hotels and restaurants.
Canadians to vote online for Workopolis Ambassador
Recruiting via online voting is decidedly hot! Now Workopolis is jumping on the bandwagon by asking Canadians to vote on their favourite for the Workopolis Ambassador to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games from among three finalists. Hailing from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, the finalists have until December 15 to get as many votes as they can. The winner, who will be announced on January 12, 2010, will earn $7,000 for three weeks’ work; in addition, accommodations, transportation, meals and access to events will also be provided (approximate value of $15,000).
Job market increasingly picking up
According to Statistic Canada’s Labour Force Survey published in early December, the Canadian unemployment rate decreased 0.1% in November, to 8.5%. More than 79,000 full- and part-time jobs were created in the past month, surpassing the forecasts of economists, who were expecting an average increase of 15,000 jobs after the loss of more than 43,000 jobs in October. The service sector alone created 73,000 jobs, including 38,000 in educational services.
Canada and Hong Kong promote youth mobility
Canada has just signed a Memorandum of Understanding on youth mobility with Hong Kong. It will allow youth aged 18 to 30 from Canada and Hong Kong to travel and work in the other country for up to a year. The MOU is expected to come into effect in March 2010. It aims to provide young people with an understanding of other cultures by living, working and travelling abroad, while giving them a competitive edge in the job market. Canada currently has 20 bilateral agreements to promote youth mobility.
Record participation rate in Sun Life HealthyRETURNS Fitness Challenge
38% of Sun Life Financial employees participated in the HealthyRETURNS Fitness Challenge set up by the company to motivate its employees to be more active, eat more fruits and vegetables and drink more water. More than 2,700 employees participated in the operation across Canada, compared to a 20 to 25% participation rate for the same program in similar companies. According to the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, more than half of Canadians are considered inactive.
Recognition of newcomers’ credentials speeded up
Under the new Canada-wide framework made public in late November, foreign-trained workers who submit an application for recognition of their credentials will get an answer in less than a year. As of December 31, 2010, architects, engineers, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and registered nurses will be able to take advantage of the provisions of the new Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. Physicians and dentists, among others, will be in the second implementation phase of the program, slated to end in December 2012.