Gabriel Bouchard steps down as President of Workopolis
On May 26, Tomer Strolight, Chairman of the Board of Workopolis, announced that Gabriel Bouchard is stepping down as President of the company, citing family reasons for his decision to return to Montreal. Gabriel Bouchard joined Workopolis as Vice-President, Strategic Planning in July 2008, and was appointed President in early 2009. Before that, he founded Monster.ca, where he worked for 13 years. Founded in 2000, Workopolis currently has 200 staff members throughout Canada. Kelly Dixon, who served as senior vice-president of Bell Residential Services and vice-president of Bell Mobility, was appointed president of Workopolis on May 30.
Accountingjobs.ca updates its interface
Accountingjobs.ca (formerly acctjob.ca) has updated its interface and improved its search engine. “We’ve simplified browsing and made searching more efficient,” explains Manuel Francisci, jobWings President and founder of accountingjobs.ca. “Our job board optimizes the search for both employers and candidates in the accounting field.” Accountingjobs.ca, which celebrated its fifth birthday in September 2010, targets all technical accounting levels including clerks, technicians and supervisors, for positions in bookkeeping, payroll, billing and accounts receivable or payable. Another recent addition is a mobile version of the site, which lets users consult and transfer job ads from their iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, or Android devices.
Canada’s “Green 30” list released
Aon Hewitt has released the list of Canada’s “Green 30,” organizations whose employees are most positive about their record on environmental stewardship. Marriott Hotels, McDonald’s Restaurants, Cisco Canada and Scotia Bank, to name but a few, were in the top 30. While most of the companies on the list use environmentally friendly materials (96%), relatively few subsidize public transit passes (26%). Aon Hewitt surveyed 130,000 employees at 250 organizations as part of the 2011 Best Employers in Canada study.
Job searching increasingly done online
According to the latest Kelly Services study, more than a quarter 4,000 Canadian respondents polled search for jobs online, including 24% via social networks—an increasingly popular practice, although 24% of respondents said they were concerned about the potential impacts of online sharing on their careers. One third of respondents said they had changed their personal data to avoid professional problems.
The study found that 27% of those polled had landed their latest job via an online ad, vs. word of mouth (21%), recruiting and staffing firms (19%), direct contact with employers (15%) and print ads (7%).
Perceptions of workplace rewards vary based on age and sex
According to a study by Lumesse of 4,000 employees in 14 countries, age and sex play an important role in the way employees perceive the recognition and rewards they get at work. For instance, 40% of older workers polled (56–60) believed they would be rewarded for taking extra responsibility, vs. only 19% of Gen Y (18–25). Globally, less than 20% of employees said they are always rewarded for working harder. Furthermore, more men (10%) than women (8%) reported a large pay since 2008.
Ideal manager survey
An international survey by BVA for BPI of almost 7,000 employees worldwide shows that fewer employees today have a high opinion of their managers, with an average 10% drop since 2007. Individual countries varied, with drops of–20% in the US, –20% in Poland, –15% in the UK and –11% in Germany. Senior executives also saw their “very good opinion” ratings go down: –13% in the US, –7% in Romania, –5% in Poland, and –4% in the UK. For a large majority of employees, opinion of their direct supervisor significantly affects attachment to the company—especially in Canada, the US, Italy, Germany and Romania.
Four western cities driving economic growth
Saskatoon, Calgary, Regina and Edmonton are the four metropolitan regions where economic growth will be the strongest in 2011, said the Conference Board of Canada. In Saskatchewan, the housing and resource sector pulled Saskatoon and Regina to the first and third spots respectively with 4.1% and 3.1% growth expected. In Alberta, the growth of Calgary (3.4%) and Edmonton (3.1%) is based on the promising energy sector outlook. To top off the list: Toronto (2.8%), Hamilton and Halifax (2.5%), Vancouver (2.4%), Quebec City (2,3%), Ottawa-Gatineau (2.2%), Montreal (2.1%) and Winnipeg (2%).
Young grads a bit too greedy?
While 25% of 250 advertising and marketing sector executives polled by The Creative Group said that new graduates’ expectations in terms of salary and responsibility are too high, most respondents (69%) thought that candidates have sufficiently realistic expectations. The study also reveals the importance of properly preparing for the recruiting interview, with 35% of executives saying that this is the most decisive step in the evaluation process, followed by the résumé, portfolio and references. The candidate’s experience only got 2% of the votes, a bit less than a presence on social networks (3%).
Launch of a playful, colourful interface for Adminjobs.ca
Job board Adminjobs.ca has just gotten a whole new look with a totally revisited graphic interface. For six years, this bilingual site has featured administrative support and clerical jobs throughout Canada. It has some 100 job ads, for functions including office clerks, administrative assistants, receptionists, secretaries, and telephone operators. Playful and colourful, the new version of the site uses office job symbols. The posting of job ads has been clarified and the search engine optimized. Adminjobs.ca has also joined the Web 2.0 era with the option to follow job ads via Twitter or RSS feed. In addition, the creation of a mobile version of the site allows users to consult and transfer job ads from any kind of hand held device, including IPhones, BlackBerries, iPads and Android phones.
New regulation for mandatory pay equity report
According to section 4 of the Pay Equity Act, employers must each year produce a report on the application of the Act in their company. The new regulation, which came into effect March 1, 2011, describes the content and form of the report.
All companies with at least 10 employees are automatically required to file a pay equity report. What’s new this year is that businesses on the Registraire des entreprises with six or more employees must also file a report. They have six months to do so after the end of the financial year, or be liable to a fine of between $1,000 and $45,000. The report can be filled out online, on the Quebec Portal or the www.demes.gouv.qc.ca website.
Monster Employment Index announces end of the recession
According to the Monster Employment Index, the job market in Canada has shaken off its sluggishness, as shown by the Q1 job increases in manufacturing (+ 99%), management (+ 63%) and finance (+ 58%). Health care and social sciences had the lowest growth with 16% and 20% more job postings respectively. These numbers signal the end of the recession in Canada—employers’ confidence continues to grow, jobs increased by 15% in the last quarter, and the Index continues to climb, today reaching pre-recession levels. Finally, the imminent retirement of baby boomers will convince the most hardened sceptics.