While the pandemic is far from over, some workplaces are starting to tackle the tough questions of when and whether to come back into the office again — and what work life will look like for people, no matter where they do it.
Employment
Liberals will extend COVID aid programs to October due to uneven rebound
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says the government is extending pandemic aid programs by an extra month beyond the previously planned end date.
The decision means that wage and rent subsidies for businesses, and income support for workers out of a job or who need to take time off to care for family or stay home sick, will last until Oct. 23.
Canada is losing its competitive edge for attracting talent
Brendon Bernard, senior economist at Indeed Canada, talks with the Financial Post’s Larysa Harapyn about how Canada is losing its competitive edge for attracting talent for its workforce and what it needs to do to compete.
What about the thousands of Somalian doctors and lawyers who migrated to Canada?
Fact check: COVID-19 deaths didn’t cause U.S. labor shortage
The apparent contradiction between high unemployment and a high number of companies struggling to find unskilled workers has opened a debate about whether a “true” labor shortage exists, and if so, why.
h/t Todd
Posthaste: A wave of Canadians quitting their jobs is about to squeeze the labour market
Combination of job vacancies, people quitting or retiring will make labour shortages worse into the fall, RBC says.
Canadians don’t want to move to Alberta
The biggest factor, said ATB Deputy Chief Economist Robert Roach, is employment.
“A big driver, especially in Alberta is economic conditions: are people going to find a job?” said Roach. “They come here looking for jobs, and if they can’t find one, or the opposite happens, and unemployment starts to rise, they tend to leave. So that’s exactly what’s happened.”
And who caused that?
Minimum wage just isn’t cutting it anymore. It’s time for a living wage, says Lakehead Social Planning Council
The growing cost to live a quality, healthy life in Thunder Bay, Ont. has outpaced the provincial minimum wage, according to the Lakehead Social Planning Council.
It’s why they’re looking for businesses in the city to join their living wage campaign, where employers agree to pay their staff a minimum of $16.20 per hour. In other words, pay the minimum amount that the social planning council says is required for people to meet the social determinants of health.
Black unemployment rises while all other races see declines
According to Labor Department statistics released Friday the unemployment rate for black Americans spiked, despite dropping for all other racial demographics. The overall jobless rate dipped to 6.2% while the rate for blacks climbed to 9.9%. White, Hispanic, and Asian-Americans all saw proportional declines as well.
Government of Canada jobs for Indigenous people (only); whites need not apply
The Government of Canada is committed to building a workforce that is representative of Canada’s population.
Some public service jobs are only open to Indigenous people, and to be considered for these opportunities, you need to self-declare when you apply. You can choose how the information you provide will be used, whether for statistical purposes only or to be considered for a job.