Korean Job Discussion Forums

[RachaelRoo]

Here's some reader feedback from the Toronto Star concerning all the media hype and propaganda recently about Canada's low unemployment rate. Canada is still an inhospitable economic environment for the average person.

It's all in how you twist the calculation.


http://www.thestar.com/

Voices: Are they good jobs?
Jun. 10, 2006. 01:55 PM

With the unemployment rate at a 32-year low, we asked you whether you are optimistic about the economic outlook. Here's what you had to say.

It's outrageous that in a country as wealthy as Canada, with huge surpluses, that we have so many people unemployed, under-employed -- and at the other spectrum, people suffering from stress and overwork. The "economic outlook" is great for the very wealthy. For the rest of us, we're just struggling to earn enough to pay the ever increasing rent, hydro and bills. And pensions? Non-existent in most jobs.
Carol Auld, Toronto

People taking the low salary, part-time or contract jobs is a reason that contributed to the low unemployment rate.
Bill Chan, Stratford

I have lived in Australia and am currently teaching English in Korea. My wage in Australia was double what it would have been in Canada working as a cook. In Korea I am making a little less than a teacher would in Canada but I am only paying 3 per cent in taxes. When looking at my options for employment in Canada it seemed necessary to go abroad and make 'real' money where I could save up enough money in order to survive the work force in Canada.
Diana Ratz, Whitby

I really don't know how they come up with these employment numbers but they are patently wrong. It looks like this number includes only people currently receiving some form of EI benefits and does not include anybody whose work was not insurable for EI purposes. It must also be ignoring the majority of folks who have given up on their job search and become stay-at-home moms or dads.
Sri Raj, Toronto

Several people have had the savvy to mention benefits, which is a good point. It's a tragedy that the Canadian public healthcare system, unlike that of the U.K., and of Europe, continues to pretend to that dental care, pharmacare and eye care are not part of health care. These should not be special benefits for middle-class people: these need to be universally free for all.
Randal Oulton, Toronto

This is more of the same old, same old. The last time I had a good full-time permanent job was in the late 1990's, before I was "downsized" and forced into seven or eight years of self-employment (against my choice), which is insecure, no benefits and sometimes, sub-poverty living.
Angela L. Browne, St. Catharines, Ont.

As a woman in the over-50 age group and actively seeking employment over the past year, it is difficult to be optimistic in the current marketplace. Age discrimination is a very real thing and governments can legislate all they want -- employers will still discriminate. We are in that Catch 22 bind: lots of experience but employers hesitate to hire us for fear of having to pay us too much and/or losing us to a better paying job.
Cynthia Wells, Scarborough

I am 62 years old. I have worked as a temp for many years. At my last assignment I was paid $15.00 an hour. The only jobs I can now find, pay $8.00 per hour. Does the news media call this progress? Canada has the best educated minimum-wage earners in the western world.
Karin Wyman, Toronto

I wonder what they base the numbers on? Yes, the unemployment rate is at a low but is that because people are really getting jobs or because people have used up their Employment Insurance and are no longer "counted" as unemployed?
Vicki Breen, Toronto

Unemployment may be low but most jobs are being offered now are contracts, which offer no benefits, holidays or stability. I'm 30 and haven't had a full-time job in 8 years because companies don't offer full-time employment to IT people any more. Two tier, second-class employees are now commonplace in the work force.
Aaron Barrett, Vancouver

Having just been laid off after giving 3.5 years of my life on a temporary contract position, I'm now finding myself out pounding the pavement again. I know there are jobs out there, but most of them are low paying and no benefits.
Laura Feeney, Courtice, Ont.

It's very manipulative to use a low unemployment rate as a symbol of increased secure employment. All this really means is that more people are working two or three jobs at a time. More people are working just part-time hours and more people are working contract jobs with no benefits. I highly doubt salary jobs with benefits were the ones to increase. This "low" rate is nothing to be proud of.
Raquel Teixeira, Scarborough

Although the numbers look good they don't tell the whole story. The fact that there is still a drop in the higher paying manufacturing sector bothers me. How many $8.00/hr jobs does it take to replace a standard of living? Taxes go up, prices go up, yet business does not seem to care if their employees even eat.
Bob DeVreeze, Bracebridge, Ont.

The unemployment rate has no effect on the real life of the people. What matters is the amount of money that is available at the end of the month. As long as people live paycheque to paycheque, we will continue to be a glorified third-world country.
Joseph Rodrigues, Brampton

I remain concerned that despite the moderate wages some of these jobs might pay, these people still have a great deal of their pay packet taken away from them by us through high taxes. Could we not tell anyone making under, say $21,000, to keep their money?
Randal Oulton, Toronto

With all this talk about low unemployment figures I would like to see data on what percentage of jobs have full-time hours, pay a living wage where people can actually support a family buy a home or save for the future, have benefits, job security, and room for advancement. I think we would get a much different picture of the state of our economy.
David Low, Toronto

I am not optimistic about the economic outlook because the majority of the jobs available are in the service industry, which gives the employees no benefits or security and low wages. These are the people we are asking to buy our high-priced cars, houses, clothes, drugs etc. The big box stores have taken over and, yes, they do supply thousands of jobs: part-time employment, minimum wage, poor service.
Joyce Stephenson, Orono, Ont.

I cannot get excited about this news. I have been unemployed for over a year now. My greatest sin is that I am 50+ years of age. I have a great deal to offer perspective employers. I am not a negative person, just frustrated due to my non-employment status.
David Smith, Dundas, Ont.

The types of jobs that are being created are not necessarily full-time or well-paying. Benefits packages and pension guarantees almost don't exist. The number of jobs is not as relevant as the quality of life these jobs create. I worry that with the pressure of the economies of China and India that jobs in Canada will be low paying and will not sustain a good, healthy quality of life.
Pam Constable, Ancaster, Ont.

Gee, all those things the left said would destroy Canada, such as NAFTA, fighting inflation, eliminating the deficit, lowering taxes, and privatization, have resulted in record low unemployment rates. We need more of this.
Kim Boydell, Burlington

Although the unemployment rate looks great overall, the outlook in the automotive/manufacturing industry is bleak. More and more work is being moved to Mexico and China. Who will buy the cars, appliances and furniture if we don't have jobs? Everything you buy at Wal-Mart is made in China. Every time we buy non-North American we take jobs away from ourselves.
George Zeni, Maple, Ont.

These unemployment numbers do not count the masses of people who's unemployment has now run out or ran out months ago, nor does it include the many people who worked but do not yet have enough total hours to have been counted as unemployed in the first place, many of whom worked tourists and seasonal businesses last year.
Merle Freeman, Ridgeway, Ont.

[some waygug-in]

Does anyone still wonder why there are so many Canadians in Korea?

[Alias]

People being forced to work contract with part time hours and zero benefits is a problem all over North America.

Things will continue to get worse as more jobs are moved to India.

[mindmetoo]

I dunno. Anecdotes don't really fly in the face of the economic data. No one said finding a job is ever easy. No one said an economy with full employment owes you a good paying career track job. There's still the human element. The people complaining in the letters, what kind of education do they have? You have a university degree and a brain. You just have to find your foot in the door. Just make sure you don't time your return to Canada during the next recession...

I've been in the work force through two Canadian recessions and two Canadian economic booms. I can't think of more ideal economic conditions in Canada. What are you looking for?

[RachaelRoo]

The problem is in the data.

It doesn't measure the quality of the jobs whatsoever. Furthermore, often these numbers just come from EI stats instead of encompassing a broad section of the unemployed population.

[The Man known as The Man]

Saskatchewan was a have-not province, but no longer.


The Martimes will always buy into their culture of defeatism.

[yoda]

Worried about gettting a job in Canada? Get a trade. They all pay $20.00 or more an hour and the market is red hot. They cannot find enough skilled tradespeople right now. What I think will really hurt people is the cost of buying a house. It's gone through the roof just about everywhere.

[mindmetoo]

[khyber]

don't kid yourself, there ARE jobs in Canada.
You notice HOW many of those people in the op are from ontario? ONE person from vancouver... that's it.

If people are not willing to relocate, or aren't smart/willing enough to get into a high demand field, i'm not going to cry their tears.

Ship them all off to the oil fields. They'll START at 22$/h and pull in 2000+ per cheque.

[some waygug-in]

Get a trade........far easier said than done. As someone who has spent a lot of time trying to establish myself in a trade.......and only to find minimum wage jobs and layoffs year after year.

So ...switch trades......same thing.

Yes, once you are established you can make some good coin, but it's a long hard road to get your papers in any trade. You have to take a lot of crap jobs and then convince your boss to register you with the trade office.
Something he is not likely to do because he wants to keep you at the bottom of the scale so he can pay you less.

Relocate......yes that's an option, but then all your hours in a given trade from your home province count as zilch and you start from square one again. Then you get laid off in winter, have to move back home because it's just too expensive not to. All your hours in the new place don't count back in your home province.

Korea, with all it's problems is still FAR more financially viable than Canada.

[Octavius Hite]

The stories on the TV also stated how the low unemployment rate has raised the minumum wage through the market rather than through government intervention. Thats a good thing, the fact that Tim Horton's in Alberta pays 13$ an hour minumum is pretty crazy. This number is a good thing, everyone just came to korea because of the women and the fact they dont want to wear a tie to work.

[Manner of Speaking]

[Wangja]

House prices going through the roof ....

Chefs moving up the food chain ....

What a great thread!

[RachaelRoo]

[some waygug-in]