Job stability tops
The winners of the 2010 Canada's Top 100 Employers competition, released by Mediacorp on October 9, reveal that stability and job security are back in style. Flashy work environments are not the most sought after, as shown by the many government corporations on the list, such the Ontario Public Service, BC Hydro and Statistics Canada. Jobs in banks like the Bank of Montreal, the Royal Bank and the TD Bank are also very popular this year.
Ray & Berndtson becomes Odgers Berndtson
Executive recruiting firm Ray & Berndtsonis changing names. The firm, which has 50 offices in 24 countries, will be known as Odgers Berndtson from now on.
Health care network on Facebook
Facebook, the popular social networking site, could help the Quebec department of health fill jobs in hospitals. This is what the government is hoping to accomplish with its new online campaign targeting high school students. In 2008, 12,000 young people had viewed a similar ad, only six weeks after its launch. The number of jobs to be filled in the health care network by 2015 is estimated at between 13,000 and 22,000. The web and networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are increasingly being used to target teenagers and young adults.
Albertan deficit: Civil servants take the rap
Faced with a deficit of $7 billion, Alberta will impose a two-year wage freeze for 6,500 senior civil servants. The government will also ask all public sector workers to “put jobs before raises.” The measure should save the province $22 million in two years.
Employees with flu to stay at home
Workers in Pima County, Arizona, must stay home if they have flu symptoms, or risk being disciplined or fired. County authorities made the announcement this week, stressing that employees had to wait at least 24 hours after the disappearance of symptoms before returning to work.
Social networks not standing still
The second-largest global professional social networking firm, , has just announced the acquisition of Canadian peer . With 16 million members and 600,000 new members a month, UNYK is a major international player in the field. After the deal, Viadeo has a combined 25 million members and its network is growing by more than a million users a month. The transaction also gives Viadeo access to UNYK’s smart address book that updates itself automatically, and its synchronization technology, which lets users merge their Outlook, webmail and cell phone address books.
A free tool to better manage the changing workforce
Launched on October 1 in Ottawa, TalentNet(C) is a new online tool to help companies better recognize, value and develop employee aptitudes and skills. Developed by the Leveraging Immigrant Talent to Strengthen Canadian Business program, TalentNet(C) is for small- and medium-sized enterprises that wish to keep up with the demographic evolution of Canada’s workforce and create a pool of qualified management candidates.
A quarter of Quebec workers don’t know where their company is headed
According to a recent CROP poll for the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés , almost a quarter of Quebec workers are unfamiliar with their company’s objectives. This percentage climbed to 40% for less educated workers and 39% in low-income households. Some 32% of respondents believed they had too little information in this regard. The Order also emphasized the universal truth that the communication of objectives has a direct impact on motivation and productivity.
40% of employers plan to rehire laid-off workers
According to a study by consulting firm OI Partners-Feldman Daxon Partners, many employers plan to rehire workers laid off over the past year as business picks up again. 40% of the 318 North American companies polled said they planned to rehire former employees, either full time or as consultants. Financial services and manufacturing companies are most likely to rehire laid-off workers, and government agencies and non-profit institutions are least likely.
A year of free courses for unemployed graduates
At the end of September, the University of Regina announced a unique initiative: free schooling for a year to qualifying students who have not found a job within six months of graduation. For Vianne Timmons, President of the University, the program is a long-term investment. It will be offered to students registering for next year’s programs.
Food sector interested in workplace diversity
On September 12, the Canadian Food Industry Council (CFIC) announced the launch of the Workplace Diversity Directory and its overhauled website. The objective is to help the food sector overcome the demographic decline of youth in the sector, who currently account for 42% of its work force. These new measures offer tools for recruiting and retaining under-represented demographic groups such as natives, immigrants, older workers and persons with disabilities, and for communicating with service providers for these groups in order to define integration strategies.