1026 replies to this topic

[amor de cosmos]

Victoria employers expect to maintain staff or hire more
By Andrew A. Duffy
March 10, 2009

Buoyed by the service industry, Victoria’s employers are looking ahead bullishly to the second quarter according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released today.

The survey data showed 27 per cent of employers plan to hire for the second quarter (April through June) with 66 per cent expecting to maintain their current staffing levels over that period.

Only seven per cent of employers anticipated cutting their workforce.

“Victoria’s net employment outlook of 20 per cent is a decrease from the same time last year when area employers reported a net employment outlook of 27 per cent,” said Hakan Bozkaya of Manpower’s Vancouver office.

Bozkaya did however note the second quarter outlook is 17 per cent better than the first quarter of this year.

The survey looked at 10 sectors and found employers in the services sector were the most hopeful with a net employment outlook of 11 per cent.

But while Victoria’s employers appear to be optimistic, nationally business owners expect a more modest second quarter.

The survey showed only 15 per cent expected to add to their staffing levels in the second quarter, while nine per cent anticipate cutbacks for a net employment outlook of six per cent.

“Employer hiring confidence reported in the previous quarter has decreased,” said Lori Rogers, vice president of operations for Manpower Canada. “Canadian employers are telling us that while they will continue to increase their payrolls they will do so at a more cautious pace than in the previous quarters.”

The survey is part of a national assessment across 10 sectors: services; public administration; construction; mining; education; transportation and public utilities; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance and real estate; manufacturing durable goods; and manufacturing non-durable goods.

http://www.timescolo...4178/story.html

[mat]

Andrew Duffy is usually fairly good with his reports and articles by outlining where the survey came from, and the history of previous numbers. Not so in this case.

It is a good news story - canwest has a policy of offering these when and where possible. Some of the numbers, especially in relation to tourism and service, do not add up to reality.

Safeway has gone from a year long hiring blitz, to putting all new applications on hold. Most tourism based businesses - which normally start hiring summer term students now, are cutting numbers...

yes, there are still jobs out there...the quality of those jobs has reduced substantially.

[Newlywednotnearlydead]

Maybe they surveyed the people looking for daffodil pickers?

I agree mat, the news story doesn't seem to match the situation on the ground, people are losing jobs, especially in construction and service industries. Most people I talk to are fearful, which is a huge change from this time last year when everyone I talked to talked about how they either couldn't hire good employees or had their pick of several job opportunities.

[spanky123]

I had the same questions so I looked up the source of the survey. The survey is conducted by Manpower (an employment recruitment firm).

The survey group states that the survey was conducted by both internal staff as well as an external consulting firm in some markets. There is no indication of sample size by region or by segment, just a notice that the survey results are accurate +/- 2.2%

Although this is made out to be a good news story, if you look at the historical reports from Manpower, this outlook is the LOWEST it has been in 15 years!

[mat]

Maybe they surveyed the people looking for daffodil pickers?

I agree mat, the news story doesn't seem to match the situation on the ground, people are losing jobs, especially in construction and service industries. Most people I talk to are fearful, which is a huge change from this time last year when everyone I talked to talked about how they either couldn't hire good employees or had their pick of several job opportunities.

It is quite amazing what change a year can make. Go back to June/July 2008 jobs reports for Victoria and you will see articles and ads literally screaming for skilled workers to apply.

Harper came on the news today claiming the 'Canadian recession' started last out of all G7 nations, and will come out 1st and strongest. Bullshit

Canada is always 6-10 months behind the curve as we are the only G7 nation (Russia as the G7+1 is a big clue) that is a net exporter of raw, non modified, commodities.

Victoria is insulated somewhat by government employment, and as a sideline a huge number of contractors who are now picking up corporate short term contracts from companies who have fired too many, too quickly. We are in a recession bubble. It looks nice, but defies the reality on the ground.

[Caramia]

Well frankly the last few years seemed kind of unreal. I graduated from high school into the economic doldrums of the 90s. I learned to assume jobs were scarce and precious, so the recent labour shortage kind of boggled me. Most of my peers left Victoria in search of opportunity and a better life. Those of us who stayed cooperated and shared a lot in order to make a go of it. Things were lean but it was a good life and I'm not scared to go back to it.

The recession is already a tough thing for a lot of families, and I suspect it will get worse before it gets better. But if we stick together and cooperate, we will find we live in lotus land. Victoria - Big Rock Candy Mountain with bike clubs and neighbourhood villages, local farms and community centres, a vibrant Old Town, oh and some of the best food, beer, coffee and bud in the world. And hey, thanks to all the fun we had in the 90s, we must have mad recession skillz!

Maybe I'll keep bees.

[mat]

Maybe I'll keep bees.

Have you been listening to CBC?

Not only does keeping bees enhance the environment, it is a low cost and wonderful hobby.

Just watch out for the neighbour with the 'potentially' allergic kid, they could be all over you. Cougars, raccoons, squirrels, chickens and grow ops are fine - bee houses tend to get both a hugely positive, and negative, reaction.

[Caramia]

My best friend keeps chickens
I suspect my neighbours would object to me keeping Cougars hehe.

[Holden West]

I suspect my neighbours would object to me keeping Cougars hehe.

The US foreclosure crisis has been good news for homeless bobcats.

[spanky123]

The most relevant article I have read in a while about the impact of the economy on real people.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29497408

[G-Man]

^ I am not sure how much that relates to the economy. It seems to me that it is just further evidence of the inability of many people to accept the fact that they are not going to graduate from Uni and get a job that pays 100k a year. People need to devote some time in life to showing they can work hard and I don't mean "work hard at school" nope you have to work hard at a real job for a long time to show you can cut it at a higher level.

[aastra]

That story breaks my heart. He made a lifetime's worth of money in a few years but he burned it all on fluff because he thought the fountain would run forever? Welcome to real life.

[aastra]

“I had to ask my parents, who are very frugal people, for money. That was really bad.”

In your 31 years you never thought to ask them why they were frugal?

[Roger]

From Todays TC...

Answers needed on public sector job reductions

Any hopes the provincial government had that its voluntary four-day work week idea would make a serious dent in the deficit were dashed with last week's deadline for employees to sign up for the program.

The final tally? A total of 650 employees are willing to take 10 unpaid days off this summer. The saving amounts to $1,573,781, which is the equivalent of about 16 full-time jobs.

And $1.6 million is a small concern when the provincial budget projected a deficit of $495 million this year, with $250 million in savings to come through cost-cutting.

The potential deficit is now at least three times that amount, meaning much deeper cuts lie ahead if Gordon Campbell sticks with his campaign pledge that the deficit would not be allowed to rise.

[Roger]

Stats Canada released the May unemployment stats for Victoria today

May 6.4%
April 6.0%
March 5.4%


BC rate increased to 7.6% in May from 7.4% in April.

Full coverage by Canadian Press - click here

Here is a graph of Canadian unemployment

[spanky123]

In addition to the increase in unemployment, the stats Canada website shows a sequentional monthly decrease in salaries of 0.8%.

Gotta love Ida Chong on CFAX this morning who claimed that the loss in full time jobs was offsite by gains in part time jobs and that somehow that was a good thing.

[Nparker]

Gotta love Ida Chong on CFAX this morning who claimed that the loss in full time jobs was offsite by gains in part time jobs and that somehow that was a good thing.

Ahhh good old political spin! Perhaps she would like to volunteer to work part time. Oh that's right she is an MLA and already works only part time, for more money than most make full time.

[VicDuck]

Ida Chong is an idiot.

[Nparker]

Ida Chong is an idiot.

Yet she is still smarter than the people who voted for her.

[VicDuck]

Yet she is still smarter than the people who voted for her.

LOL. That's true.