Michel Cournoyer

MAN SE (Volkswagen) – To cut 1,800 jobs

Germany’s MAN SE plans to cut around 1,800 jobs at its main trucks division as the Volkswagen-owned (VOWG_p.DE) company slims operations to lower costs and revive profit, two people familiar with the situation said on Wednesday. The job cuts will affect 1,400 white-collar employees and 400 staff in production, the people said. MAN Truck & … Continue reading →

The Change Readiness Index (CRI) – The ranking

The Change Readiness Index (CRI) is an important contribution to the development debate, reflecting KPMG’s commitment to new approaches and insights. The CRI is about creating and measuring capacity for change and resilience at all levels and in all spheres of society. In the third edition since its launch in 2012, the CRI offers refined … Continue reading →

Turnover in US – More employees leave jobs for career growth than money Randstad finds

As American companies grapple to retain top talent, Randstad US has released the results of its most recent Employer Branding Survey, which uncovers four key factors impacting employee attraction and retention. Randstad’s 2015 Employer Branding Survey arms U.S. companies with specific areas they can address to minimize employee turnover in today’s competitive talent market. Trend … Continue reading →

Ericsson – 2,200 jobs cut

Swedish vendor eliminates 2,100 positions; 1,700 staff set to leave the company. Ericsson on Wednesday revealed that it has begun giving notice to staff facing redundancy as part of its 9 billion-kronor (€987 million) cost-cutting programme. In the past few weeks approximately 2,100 positions have been eliminated at the vendor’s Swedish R&D and supply operations. … Continue reading →

Immigration in Ontario – Two New Express Entry Provincial Nominee Streams

Background: Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program and Express Entry The Provincial Nominee Program was established to allow provinces the ability to nominate qualified workers, professionals and international students who wish to become Canadian permanent residents according to the economic needs of each province. Each year, the federal government decides on the number of provincial nominees each … Continue reading →

Express Entry in Canada – It worths it for a “higher calibre of immigrant” Minister says

One government minister has urged employers to include the new Express Entry immigration program in their HR strategies – saying it offers access to highly-skilled and highly sought-after applicants. “If you can’t find a Canadian to do the job, you can come to us and apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment and recruit someone … Continue reading →

Secondary Education in UK – Core academic vs vocational subjects

From this September, all pupils at secondary school will have to study English, a language, maths, science and history or geography at General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). This is the English Baccalaureate, or Ebacc, which education minister Nicky Morgan has insisted are core academic subjects that should be taken by all children.  The director … Continue reading →

Workplace Culture – Three ways to build it

Hire for character. Values, personality, habits. Nobody wants to work with a social hand grenade – those toxic personalities that make you question why anybody would ever choose to be friends with that person since they do everything unimaginable to repel a conversation rather than build one.  Train For Competence. Once the seeds of character are … Continue reading →

Germany – International students are leaving

Germany’s foreign students were assumed to be a hot commodity in a country desperate for skilled labor. But inhospitable employers and lack of preparation from their universities are forcing them to leave in droves.  A study published this week by the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration (SVR) highlighted the gap between … Continue reading →

Involuntary Part-Time Work in US – May remain significantly above its pre-recession level FRBSF finds

The incidence of involuntary part-time work surged during the Great Recession and has stayed unusually high during the recovery. This may reflect more labor market slack than is captured by the unemployment rate alone. Analysis across states and over time indicates that a substantial part of the increase is related to the business cycle. However, … Continue reading →

Indonesia – A bleaker picture than the notoriously unreliable official numbers

Indonesian companies are shedding jobs as they grapple with the weakest economic growth in six years, adding to the troubles facing President Joko Widodo, who was elected last year on pledges to dig the country out of a rut.  Government data might suggest no cause for alarm – unemployment was 5.81 percent in February, up … Continue reading →

Graph of the day. Unemployment in the Euro Area periphery – the long run

Refugees – Worldwide displacement hits all-time high

Wars, conflict and persecution have forced more people than at any other time since records began to flee their homes and seek refuge and safety elsewhere, according to a new report from the UN refugee agency. UNHCR’s annual Global Trends Report: World at War, released on Thursday (June 18), said that worldwide displacement was at … Continue reading →

Aboriginal in Canada – Unemployment rate twice as high as for the nonAboriginal population in 2011 report finds

The Aboriginal population has experienced mixed outcomes for the core economic indicators. • Aboriginal labour force participation and employment rates have declined while unemployment rates have increased from 2006 to 2011, reflecting the impact of the 2008-09 economic downturn. The gap in employment and participation rates between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations increased as Aboriginal … Continue reading →

Employment Insurance (EI) in Canada, April 2015 – 521,300 people receiving regular benefits

There were 521,300 people receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits in April, little changed from March (+0.5%) and compared with 12 months earlier (-0.4%). For the fourth month in a row, Alberta led all provinces in terms of growth in the number of beneficiaries, with a 10.7% increase in April. British Columbia also posted a … Continue reading →