NationStates Jolt Archive

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050708/wl_canada_afp/canadaeconomy_050708143858

Woot!

This sounds like good news to me. :)

Yayyyy! Good news!
Could explain why none of my friends is currently unemployed.
Let's hope it continues that way...

And despite all those evil social security and medicare programs too.

Who would've thought?
:D

Coincedence is that the US unemployment is down to 5%. Lowest in 4 years. I know that in my area there are not enough people to fill positions. So I hear from friends in various industries. Good times may not be far behind!

And despite all those evil social security and medicare programs too.

Who would've thought?
:D

Next thing you know, the maple leaf will morph into a red star & they'll start marching south. :D

yeah, the canadian liberals. they're arrogent and corrupt, they might steal, they don't listen unless they're forced to, but they know how to manage an economy and balence a budget :D

Good for them, all the best and all that but... If the USA unemployment rate was that bad you'd all be panicking, and blaming not praising Dubya.

Canada and America measure unemployment differently anyway, so it's skittish making comparisons like that.

Australia is at the lowest unemployment rate ever as well...

and as a boss it's damn anoying.
I can't find any good workers apart from drug adicts and dole cheats that just want to get fired so they can get unemployment benifits

Australia is at the lowest unemployment rate ever as well...

and as a boss it's damn anoying.
I can't find any good workers apart from drug adicts and dole cheats that just want to get fired so they can get unemployment benifits

What sort of company do you run?

Good for them, all the best and all that but... If the USA unemployment rate was that bad you'd all be panicking, and blaming not praising Dubya.

Especially those migrant workers. ;)

Especially those migrant workers. ;)

Didn't they steal all of the jobs yet? :p

Australia is at the lowest unemployment rate ever as well...

and as a boss it's damn anoying.
I can't find any good workers apart from drug adicts and dole cheats that just want to get fired so they can get unemployment benifits

Hmm...this could be interpreted as a benefit of welfare programs. It keeps the unambitious away from work they would not be qualified for (hiring them and inevitably firing them at your expense and sanity) as well as the life of crime they would resort to if they had no cash coming in.

Of course I wouldn't want to paint everyone on welfare as scumbags :)

Yes - the unemployment rate is down, but...

only 52,000 full-time jobs were created in the last month...

And there are still 1.2 million people looking for work.

Something isn't quite right with this equation.

Maybe people will start making their own work... perhaps getting the qualifications to preform marriages in border towns where same sex couples from the states may arrive for ceremonies...

and as a boss it's damn anoying.
I can't find any good workers apart from drug adicts and dole cheats that just want to get fired so they can get unemployment benifits

Canada changed it's requirements for Employment Insurance a few years ago: you don't qualify if you've been fired. Unless you can proof your boss was an idiot and fired you unjustly, you can't get EI. Also, you can't get it if you quit without cause (i.e., you can prove you were being harassed or treated unfairly).

Pretty well only those who have been laid off now qualify.

And, if you don't qualify for EI, it's pretty hard to qualify for Social Assistance benefits in some provinces (Ontario is one).

Maybe people will start making their own work... perhaps getting the qualifications to preform marriages in border towns where same sex couples from the states may arrive for ceremonies...

Self-employment is a growth industry, but it's also one fraught with financial hazards: no benefits, responsibility for payroll taxes and little guarantee of success. I've been self-emplyed for three years and it's a pain.

I have a number of medical issues (some arising from a congenital condition) which require medication, which, if I didn't have access to public healt benefits (because I don't earn enough money) I'd be in serious financial trouble.

Also, while I haven't earned enough money to pay income tax, I do have to pay the employer and employee portions of Canada Pension Plan fees.

Quite frankly, it sucks.

Too bad they don't take into account the number of people on welfare in their unemployment numbers.

Too bad they don't take into account the number of people on welfare in their unemployment numbers.
Troll?
Or just dumb?

Troll?
Or just dumb?
Depends on the type of welfare and the way the stats are compiled in Canada.
Long-term unemployed are indeed not considered "part of the labour force" and thus not included in the unemployment figures.

meh, we're at 5% unemployment here south of the border :D

Depends on the type of welfare and the way the stats are compiled in Canada.
Long-term unemployed are indeed not considered "part of the labour force" and thus not included in the unemployment figures.

Can't recall if social assistance recipients are included in unemployment stats in Canada.

What isn't counted are the number of people who have stopped looking for work, who are no longer on social assistance rolls (because they no longer qualify) or people who are self-employed.

Canada has some strict rules for those on Employment Insurance - one is that you have to be "actively" looking for work. You must keep track of your job search - number of resumes sent out, phone calls made, interview attended, etc. You can be called in to show prove your search. And, if EI staff don't feel you are "actively" looking for a job, you can be cut off.

In some provinces (social assistance is a provincially-regulated program, where EI is federally-regulated) some social assistance recipients are also required to look for work or become involved in an Ontario Works program. That's where an employer creates a new type of job, hires a social assistance recipient (usually for a minimum-wage, dead-end job) and has the wages subsidized by the government. The intent is to get the person off social assistance, but the type of jobs created generally aren't long-term positions.

The last statistic I heard was that a person who becomes unemployed usually takes about six month to find a new job. If they end up on social assistance, because EI benefits finish, it will take up to a year. Once a person has been unemployed for a year, it becomes much more difficult for them to find work. And frequently the end up unqualified for EI and social assistance and end up without anything.

My wife and I are both self-employed (linguistic services).
So technically we're not part of the statistics.
Because of our carreers, we kno a LOT of self-employed persons (half our friends are self-employed, consultants, or own their company).
So it tends to mess with the statistics I guess...

Generally "unemployment" figures as such are useless anyways.
As you pointed out, there's various statistical shortcomings, and I would add that here in Australia you already count as "employed" if you only work 2 hours a week.
To get an accurate report on the labour market situation you almost need to compile a 50 page report. It's what econometrists do...

As the baby boomers start to drop off in ever greater numbers I imagine we will continue to see this trend. They are, afterall, getting to that age where they start having heart attacks and such while still young enough to be counted as part of the workforce.

Yes - the unemployment rate is down, but...

only 52,000 full-time jobs were created in the last month...

And there are still 1.2 million people looking for work.

Something isn't quite right with this equation.
ONLY 52,000 jobs created in one month? Oh horrors!! Now translate that to US which has 9 times the population and that would be equivalent to the creation of 468,000 jobs.

BTW, the US added 146,000 jobs last month, but 240,000 are no longer in the workforce.