Healthcarejob.ca launches new version of its site
Healthcarejob.ca has launched the new version of its site, redesigned to be simpler, clearer and more efficient in order to better meet the needs of health care professionals in Canada. A mobile version of Healthcarejob.ca for iPhones, Blackberries, iPads and Android devices is also now available for viewing and transferring job ads. Created in 2007, Healthcarejob.ca currently features some 200 ads in a number of health fields including nursing, medicine, pharmacy, medical management, dental care, labs, administrative work, social work and medical sales.
Productivity of Canadian companies increasing
Workplace productivity is continuing to increase in Canada. It was up 0.4% in the third quarter, 0.4% in the fourth quarter and 1.4% for 2010 overall—the biggest annual advance since 2005, said Statistics Canada.
The Agency explains this favourable trend by an increase in the gross domestic product, since the number of hours worked has remained relatively stable (up 0.4% after a decrease of 0.1% in the third quarter of 2010). The key to better productivity also lies in the offshoring of unproductive elements, a process increasingly adopted by Canadian companies.
Unemployment trending downward in OECD countries
The unemployment rate in OECD countries was 8.4% at the end of January 2011, down 0.1% from December, following a peak of 8.6% in November 2010.
Results differ by country. Unemployment was stable in Canada (7.8%), Japan (4.9%) and Italy (8.6%), but decreased by 0.1% in the U.S. (8.9%), France (9.6%) and Germany (6.5%). Small falls were also recorded in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico and the Czech Republic, while Austria, Korea, Slovenia and Sweden all experienced slight increases.
In total, there were 45.4 million unemployed persons in OECD countries on January 31, 2011, down 1.8 million from last year but 14.5 million higher than in January 2008.
Improving employee engagement
According to a Psychometrics Canada study of 368 human resources professionals, a fat pay cheque is no longer enough to motivate employees, who need to feel needed, creative and heard in order to feel engaged.
Respondents endorsed the following as the best ways to improve engagement: listening to employees’ opinions, communicating expectations clearly, giving recognition, providing learning and development opportunities, helping find solutions to problems and defending direct reports.
HR professionals believe that there are also benefits to be gained from engagement training, which can help boost productivity, improve working relationships and even cut down on absenteeism.
Recrutech.ca renamed Techjobs.ca and announces its new mobile version
Recrutech.ca, the job board for engineers and technologists, announces that it is changing its name to . Created in 2006, the bilingual site currently has more than 500 job ads in technical fields throughout Canada. has also benefited from an updated page layout and users can now consult Techjobs.ca job ads from any mobile device—including iPhones, Blackberries, iPads, and Android devices.
Monster launches Target Slot solution for companies with high turnover
Monster has developed a new, flexible hiring solution to save companies time in the candidate search. “Target Slot” is for companies with high turnover or regular recruiting needs. A one-year subscription allows recruiters to advertise as many job postings as desired, with access to 300 job titles and pre-written descriptions in the database. The posted ad is then active for 30 days. After this time, an ad can be reposted or replaced with a new one. Rates start at $720 for one ad and decrease to $530 for a five-to-nine-ad package.
Immigration policies: Canada third-best worldwide
A study carried out by the British Council and the Migration Policy Group shows that Canada ranks third in integrating migrants. The study is based on 150 indicators including public education, access to citizenship and anti-discrimination laws, and analyzes the immigration policies of 31 countries. It highlights Canada’s efforts at recognizing foreign qualifications, access to education for all, family reunion, anti-discrimination laws and the promotion of equal opportunity. Canada loses ground to Sweden and Portugal, however, because of the lack of local voting rights and opportunity for political participation. The time required to process immigration applications could also be improved.
Brussels keeps up efforts against workplace stress
According to an evaluation by the European Commission, work-related stress has increased in nine E.U. member states and has only fallen in Sweden. Studies suggest that in total, 50 to 60% of all lost working days are related to stress, totalling 10 million working days in the UK. The direct costs of stress at work are estimated at 4% of EU GDP (gross domestic product). The 2004 agreement implemented by Brussels to raise awareness of work-related stress has nevertheless had positive effects. While the level of engagement is uneven, 19 of the 27 EU member states now have legislation or collective agreements that address stress or other psychological risks at work.
Recession has postponed retirements
The latest Conference Board of Canada survey has found that the recession has affected people’s retirement plans. 21% of respondents said that would retire later than intended, with a third of baby boomers reporting they had been forced to delay retirement. According to the Conference Board, the average retirement age dropped from 65 to 61.5 years between 1972 and 2000, but climbed back up to just over 62 in 2010. This upwards trend should continue because of the tight labour market and the continuing impact of the crisis on Canadians’ finances.