Michael Page opens office in Montreal
Michael Page International, the U.K.-based recruitment consultancy, opened its first office in Montreal in February 2008. Grégoire Conquet will head the new branch. His role will be to actively recruit people for the firm's clients in the management, finance and banking sectors, for interim work and permanent or temporary contracts. Montreal companies are in full hiring mode and Michael Page is counting on this strong demand to quickly get the business running. Over 30 years, the company has developed a worldwide presence and today has 149 offices in Europe, Australia and across North America. It opened its first Canadian branch in Toronto in 2005.
Opening of an Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism inNewfoundland and Labrador
The Newfoundland and Labrador Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism (OIM) opened its doors in early January 2008, an important initiative for the provincial government, which has been trying to attract more immigrants for a few years now. While 70% of new arrivals settle in Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver, the Atlantic provinces only attract 450 people a year. Newfoundland and Labrador has the lowest immigration rate, in addition to being the province where the fewest newcomers stay. Immigrants are therefore critical in order to stimulate economic activity and revive social and cultural life, which is why the OIM was set up. It will be responsible for promoting the establishment of newcomers and enhancing the retention rate. The province would like to attract young qualified workers in agriculture and fisheries, manufacturing, health care and tourism. Over the next five years, Newfoundland and Labrador would like to triple its immigration numbers. The immigration advertising campaign will be handled by local media and greater communication by the OIM with Canadian embassies.
Standout Jobs launches "Reception" HR software
At the end of January, Standout Jobs launched Reception, a new online recruiting product. Founded barely a year ago by Ben Yoskovitz, Fred Ngo and Austin Hill, the Montreal startup powers companies' human resources management requirements. Reception, on the technological leading edge, was developed to simplify the hiring process. It allows employers to post their job offers and to promote their company via interactive tools such as videos and blogs. Exchanges between candidates and employers through Reception quickly determine whether there is a fit. iNovia Capital, a manager of seed and early stage venture capital funds in new technologies and innovation, recently invested two million dollars in the startup to support its projects. Standout Jobs will use the investment to market its online recruiting software.
Online job searching increasingly effective
The latest Kelly Global Workforce Index showed that one Canadian in three found his or her job via the Internet. The success of this medium applies to employers as well, who believe that it is the most effective way of unearthing talent. Kelly, the U.S.-based human resources firm, surveyed 11,000 Canadians, and found that 71% of respondents were satisfied with the outcome of their online job search. Job market competition remains fierce, however, and the Kelly survey concludes that one's network and word of mouth are not to be neglected as sources of potential contacts.
Facebook and Myspace used to spy on welfare recipients
Online social networking sites like Facebook or Myspace could be used by the government of British Columbia to check allegations of welfare fraud. According to B.C. Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance spokesperson Richard Chambers, such sites are not used to determine whether applicants are eligible for assistance or not, but can be used to recover personal information if it is suspected that claimants' lifestyle exceeds their declarations. "Our policy is to ensure that social assistance goes to the right people," said Chambers, adding "Obviously people's privacy is very important and if we had no reason to look at someone, we would not." In 2007, the government paid out one million dollars in financial assistance to people who didn't need it.
Labour market integration: immigrants from Southeast Asia lead
A study published this month by Statistics Canada discusses the integration of immigrants into the labour market in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec. The observations were made over 10 years, from 1996 to 2006, and show that immigrants from Southeast Asia had better success in finding a job than any other immigrant group in Canada. Results show that they have unemployment, employment and participation rates similar to native-born Canadians. In 2006, immigrants from elsewhere in Asia, the Middle East and those from Latin America, Europe and Africa had a higher unemployment rate and a lower employment rate than their Canadian-born counterparts.
According to Statistics Canada, Asian-born immigrants formed the largest group of established immigrants in 2006, a distinction held by Europeans since the 1980s. The latter, in particular new arrivals, have the highest unemployment rate of all immigrants.
Recruiting: benefits gaining in popularity to attract workers
A recent survey shows that recruiters consider benefits a decisive factor in attracting employees.
To conduct the study, recruiting firm Robert Half International polled 270 chief financial officers across Canada. The results show that the rise in health care costs has increased the value of benefits to workers. "Companies that do not provide comprehensive employment packages, including competitive compensation and benefits packages, risk losing top job candidates to other opportunities," said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. According to the study, 31% of respondents thought that salary is the most effective incentive for attracting employees, while 20% felt the benefits package had the greatest influence.
JWT Employment Communications becomes JWT INSIDE
JWT Employment Communications, an international recruiting firm, recently announced its name change. The newly titled JWT INSIDE organization will be headed by Jerry Touslee. The agency specializes in marketing and employment communications and is a part of the JWT Specialized Communications network. Its bigger clients include Microsoft, Starbucks, Boeing, American Express, HSBC and Shell.
Quebec labour market: freefall in manufacturing jobs continues
This month, the Institut de la statistique du Québec disclosed the latest labour market statistics for 2007. The outlook is not good for the manufacturing sector. Since 2005, it has lost its role as the sector that created the most jobs. In two years, manufacturing lost 72,500 more jobs, including 38,100 in 2007 alone. The difficulties started in 2003, when the Canadian dollar gained strength against the U.S. dollar. Exports to the U.S. then tumbled and led to a radical change in the economic structure of Quebec. The commerce sector is today the leader in job creation.