Job Market Monitor
Michel Cournoyer
UK – A closer look at the rise in self-employment
Government ministers like to talk about the jobs created on their watch, but over the last few years lots of people have been creating their own jobs. Three quarters of the increase in employment since 2008 has come from self-employment. Source: ONS employment statistics Some have hailed this as the sign of a new entrepreneurial … Continue reading
The problem with productivity – It’s about how people, process and technology work together
The problem with productivity, as Susannah Clements, CIPD deputy chief executive, puts it, is that it is fundamentally an economic equation – output divided by people employed. “But people don’t think on that level. They think about how hard they’re working personally, not necessarily how effectively they’re working collectively. We can have a workforce that feels … Continue reading
Canada – Lies, damn lies and jobs numbers
That data shows that the government’s claims about strong job growth, like Flaherty’s above, are more than a little misleading. A slightly better measure is the unemployment rate. Of the seven years after the Conservatives took office, Canada’s unemployment rate was higher than the OECD average for four years and lower for three. The latest … Continue reading
Job search with a criminal past in UK
Three-quarters of newly released offenders in England and Wales are unemployed, according to figures from the National Offender Management Service, but work is often a key factor in preventing reoffending. Research by the Ministry of Justice shows 47% of adults reoffend within a year of release, and for those serving sentences of less than 12 … Continue reading
Sabbaticals – Why it should be offered to long-term employees
The concept of a sabbatical may call up an image of an academic taking a long break from lecturing to conduct research or write a book, but sabbaticals aren’t unheard of in the business world, either. Whether it’s a few weeks or as much as a year, sabbaticals are valued for giving employees a chance … Continue reading
Temp Jobs in US – Expect surge to continue
The surge in contract and “temp” jobs since the recession ended is likely to continue, a range of experts have said, in part because of slack in the labor market and decisions by many corporations to maximize flexibility in their work force. CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. said in a new forecast on Thursday … Continue reading
Jobless claims in US – Falls to 4-Month Low
Applications for jobless benefits decreased by 10,000 for the week ending March 22, bringing the total to 311,000, down from last week’s revised figure of 321,000, the Labor Department announced Thursday. This latest figure marks an official four-month low for unemployment aid. The four-week moving average, a “less volatile” figure, fell by 9,500 to 317,750, down from last … Continue reading
NAFTA – Nearly 700,000 U.S. jobs have been lost or displaced writes the AFL-CIO
Twenty years later and what have we learned from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? Nearly 700,000 U.S. jobs have been lost or displaced, union density in the United States, Mexico and Canada fell and income inequality has increased. The AFL-CIO’s new report, NAFTA at 20, discusses how current U.S. trade policy has failed to … Continue reading
Unemployment Benefits Extension in US – Senate Advances Bill but it is unlikely the legislation can get through
The Senate on Thursday moved ahead with a bill to extend unemployment insurance benefits, three months after benefits expired for more than two million Americans. The Senate voted 65 to 34 to begin debate on the legislation, setting it up for passage next week. A bipartisan group of senators announced a deal two weeks earlier … Continue reading
Returning to Fukushima – Only 18 people have decided to take up jobs in Fukushima despite government job programme
Only 18 people have decided to take up jobs in Fukushima Prefecture through a government plan to find employment for those who fled due to the nuclear crisis, according to regional labor bureaus. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry set up a special section in May to support Fukushima evacuees at seven of the government’s … Continue reading
Job Search – ‘Hire my Friend’ by a London startup
Looking for a job when already employed is awkward. Companies prefer personal referrals to using recruiters and job boards, but asking one’s friends or professional network for help can be daunting and slow. And of course there’s the worry that your current employer will catch on. London-based Makeshift, a startup that makes web tools for other startups, has created a simple … Continue reading
Increase Workplace Flexibility – Where to start
The potential benefits of workplace variability are numerous — increased morale, motivation, and the ability to attract and retain talent — yet many managers don’t know where to start. Others are afraid that performance could suffer or something important could fall through the cracks. Even the most employee-oriented managers have concerns about having employees work outside … Continue reading
US – Occupational concentration by industry
Several different measures are available for examining the industry and occupation relationship. Traditional tools include measuring the share of total occupational employment found in a given industry, as well as the share of total industry employment made up of a specific occupation. For instance, 62 percent of registered nurses were employed in hospitals in May … Continue reading
US – What can be done about the rampant underfunding of public pension systems?
Improving Public Pensions: Balancing Competing Priorities by Patten Priestley Mahler, Chingos, and Whitehurst makes a significant contribution to the public pension discourse by providing policymakers and stakeholders with a framework for evaluating proposed reforms to pension systems – even in light of the frequently competing objectives of such systems. The authors begin by defining three … Continue reading
France – The number of people registered as jobless reached a record 3,347,700
Unemployment in France rose 0.9% in February, the labour ministry announced Wednesday, with almost 3.35m now jobless. Following a pasting in local elections last Sunday, the latest data is more grim news for President François Hollande. The second round of voting will be held this Sunday. The data show that the number of people registered … Continue reading
Jobs – Offres d’emploi – US & Canada (Eng. & Fr.)
The Most Popular Job Search Tools
Even More Objectives Statements to customize
Cover Letters – Tools, Tips and Free Cover Letter Templates for Microsoft Office
Job Market Monitor 