Highlights from Labour Force Survey ----------------------------------- Released today at 7:00AM ET by Statistics Canada
- Employment in Canada edged up 14,000 in March, the unemployment rate dipped 0.1 percentage points to 7.3 per cent, but the pace of employment growth has slowed. The modest increase in employment in March brings gains for the first three months of the year to 67,000, the smallest quarterly increase since the end of 2001
- The manufacturing sector continues to weaken. Factory jobs have declined in five of the last seven months including a large drop of 37,000 in March
- Gains in employment were made in accommodation and food services, construction, natural resources and other services employment. Accommodation and food posted the largest employment gain of 33,000, primarily in full-service restaurants
- Employment in Ontario continued to trend upward. A gain of 17,000 in March helped push the unemployment rate down 0.2 points to 6.5 per cent.
Global careers study: --------------------- Canadians among world's best surfers ------------------------------------
A new worldwide study of more than 363,000 unemployed workers by career transition firm DBM shows that Canadians surfed the Internet to find new employment four times more successfully than the global average in 2002. Twelve per cent of 7400 unemployed Canadians surveyed found new employment last year by using various Internet-based resources compared to three per cent worldwide and six per cent in the United States. Despite this growth in Internet-based recruiting, the study showed that personal networking remains the best method to find new employment. Globally, 42 per cent of respondents found new employment by networking; 61 per cent in the United States; and 68 per cent in Canada. Experts say use of the Internet by Canadians to find new employment is not surprising given its penetration across Canada and the growth of online recruiting methods. New York-based eMarketer, a leading source of data about internet, e-business and emerging technologies, says there were 14.9 million internet users in Canada in 2002 compared to 152.8 million in the United States. This number is expected to grow to 21.4 million users in Canada by the end of 2004 compared to 174.9 million users in the United States. An eMarketer report titled "North America Online: Demographics and Usage", released in February this year, also estimates there were 7.2 million online households in Canada in 2002, or approximately 60 per cent of all households in the country. More than 63 per cent of households in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario are online, eMarketer reports. In addition, a recent survey by COMPAS Inc. revealed that 47 per cent of Canadian business executives say they used online tools such as a company web site or internet-based recruiting firms to fill employment vacancies last year. Monster.ca, workopolis.ca, hotjobs.ca and careerclick.com are among the best-known online recruiting services in Canada. DBM's career transition consultants advise clients to send both printed and e-mail resumes when searching for new employment. They say job candidates should send their resume electronically with an e-cover note and then follow-up with a printed letter and resume. "Many people think that electronic and printed resumes are different. They should not be. You are merely altering the presentation format of a printed resume for the Internet," says Judith Gelber, Vice-President/Managing Consultant, DBM. "A well-written, well-prepared resume will contain all of the necessary keywords to attract attention whether it is being read by a hiring manager, scanned or searched in a management system or indexed in an Internet site." Gelber offers these tips to people applying for work over the Internet:
Just the facts -------------- Be true to your record. You will find more opportunities more closely suited to your background and goals.
Talk the talk ------------- The correct use of industry or professional terminology will instantly allow the potential employer to understand your background and determine a possible fit quickly and efficiently.
Timing is everything -------------------- Most large job posting sites list resumes chronologically and recruiters often look at the most current postings. It's a good idea to re-post your resume weekly.
Pick and choose --------------- Be selective about the sites to which you post your resume. Recruiters will not take you seriously if they discover you are indiscriminate about the position you are seeking.
Highlight key points -------------------- For online resumes use asterisks ((*)) or plus signs (+) at the beginning of lines instead of bullets at the beginning of lines. Use a series of dashes to separate sections. Consider using capital letters or asterisks to surround key text instead of using bold face.
Going public ------------ Once posted, consider your resume a public document and out of your control. Consider renting a post office box and using a specific voice mail account for your search instead of including your home address and phone number on your resume.
Update or outdate ----------------- Some Internet services will allow you to post your resume without cost, but will charge for updates. Look for Internet services that allow an unlimited number of updates.
DBM (www.dbmcanada.com) is the world's leading provider of strategic human resource solutions that help organizations align their workforces to meet changing business needs. Known for over 35 years for its innovative and effective career transition services, DBM offers in-depth capabilities in employee transition, retention, development, and selection. Founded in 1967, the company has more than 225 locations in 47 countries. DBM is part of The Thomson Corporation, a $7.8 billion global provider of integrated information solutions. Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate training and assessment, scientific research and healthcare. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC). Its learning business and brands service the needs of individuals, learning institutions, corporations and government agencies with products and services for both traditional and distributed learning.
Canadian wages on the rise
By Sunny Freeman
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Fri, Aug 27 2010
Canadians have been bringing home more money each week than they did during the economic downturn, when jobs and workers´ hours were slashed, but economists warn a return to recession in the United States could derail rising incomes.
Unemployment hits 15-year high in Ontario
By Madhavi Acharya, Tom Yew, Rita Trichur
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Sat, Jun 6 2009
Overall, Ontario was walloped by a net loss of 60,000 positions, bringing the province´s running tally of employment losses to 234,000 since the labour market peaked last October.
Employment insurance numbers jumped 10% in March
By CBC News
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Tue, May 26 2009
The number of Canadians collecting regular employment insurance benefits grew by 65,300, or more than 10 per cent, in March, marking the biggest monthly increase since the job market began to deteriorate in October.
Rising Gas Prices Guzzle Take-Home Pay
By Maura Pallera, Salary.com
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Thu, Aug 14 2008
This summer, Americans were paying, on average, $4.09 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline to fuel the vehicles they rely on to get to and from work everyday. This represents an increase of $1.14 over the same time last year.
Immigrant employment rising, StatsCan report says
By Eric Beauchesne, Canwest News Service
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Wed, May 14 2008
OTTAWA - Immigrant employment, seen as a way to offset projected labour shortages, increased sharply last year in Canada, easily outpacing that of native-born workers, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday.
