Wide ranging plan for disabilities in Saskatchewan
The government of Saskatchewan has announced the launch of a wide ranging program relating to disabilities. The stated objective is to make the province the most desirable place to live in Canada for persons with disabilities. To reach this point, the Minister of Social Services, June Draude, has announced the establishment of a program of consultations across the province to collect as many opinions as possible on the issue of disabilities. The program will focus on several points: accessibility, the availability of housing and its affordability, transport, jobs, education, support for integration into the community and support for caregivers. Public consultations will be held next spring.
Is the temporary foreign worker program detrimental to the labour market?
This seems to be what is suggested by a new study from the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary. According to the authors, Canada is suffering, not from a lack of workers, but from a major imbalance between the skills of the available workforce and the demands of the labour market. While the number of admissions in the TFW program over 25 years has risen from 65,000 to 182,000 in 2010, the study's leader Kevin McQuillan rather recommends encouraging young people to pursue their studies or career where jobs are available and promoting interprovincial migration. The study was released at the same time as the controversy which has befallen the government over hiring of foreign workers to the detriment of qualified Canadian workers.
Flexible work schedules are greatly appreciated by working mothers
Balancing work and family continues to be a thorny question for working mothers. To successfully overcome the obstacles, a great majority of them (73%) cite flexible schedules, according to a study conducted by Regus. Heading this list there is also the possibility of telecommuting, either permanently or occasionally (61%) or the presence of a partner with whom they can share household chores (65%). Another highlight of this study is companies considering part-time work for mothers of young children. According to Regus, 72% of executives believe that companies who ignore the return to part-time work by mothers may be overlooking a significant share of the labour pool.
56% of executives are leaning toward an improvement in the economy
According to the recent “Business Confidence Barometer” for Canada published by Ernst & Young, 56% of executives think that the country’s economy is improving, compared to 29% last October. This result is explained by the situation’s improvement in terms of access to capital, growth in jobs and company profits. However, caution is still in order. In a brief online survey, 67% of Canadian respondents say they are worried about the impact on their company of the persisting uncertainty on the global economy. This mindset should fade over the long term, respondents say.