Job Market Monitor
Michel Cournoyer
The decline in job satisfaction and employee engagement
“The decline in job satisfaction and employee engagement revealed by the Government’s Skills and Employment Survey makes for worrying reading for businesses, the economy and wider society. But CIPD research shows that the voluntary sector appears to be bucking this trend, with valuable lessons to be learned for the private and public sectors. Nevertheless, we … Continue reading
2050: With fewer people we can’t just get rid of people and hire news ones
Mara Swan shared a map showing the predicted distribution for the estimated world population in 2050. It shows that the population is moving east (which represents a big challenge for values and mind-sets – most of our companies are based on Western and Christian values, yet most of the workforce’s are based on Eastern and … Continue reading
Group job interview: a testimony
I was interviewed with seven other people who were friendly and had a very diverse spectrum of experience. It wasn’t a heavy or even competitive ambiance, it felt more like an amicable round table, and I tried to speak just as much as everyone else. How did I prepare for it? I did some research … Continue reading
UI in US / Expanding the definition of misconduct
Traditionally, unemployment benefits can go to any laid-off employee not guilty of “misconduct.” By law, simple failure to meet production quotas, for example, cannot be deemed misconduct unless it represents a “willful and wanton” refusal. In the past two years, however, four states have rewritten their laws to vastly expand the definition of misconduct. In … Continue reading
The 70s / Did we need a terrible recession? asks Krugman
What we did have was a wage-price spiral: workers demanding large wage increases (those were the days when workers actually could make demands) because they expected lots of inflation, firms raising prices because of rising costs, all exacerbated by big oil shocks. It was mainly a case of self-fulfilling expectations, and the problem was to … Continue reading
Psychology / Job Layoffs
Redundancy — losing your job in a layoff — is difficult for most people. I’ve worked with many people who have been made redundant and struggled with the aftermath. On the whole, these individuals have been hard workers, intelligent, and loyal to their companies; when the hammer finally fell, they often went into an emotional … Continue reading
Spain / A crisis education reform
Spain’s government has approved an emergency reform of the crisis-hit education sector, hoping to reduce the number of school dropouts and curb the soaring youth unemployment rate. Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said the plan aimed to improve young people’s job prospects at a time when unemployment among those aged 16 to 24 has surpassed … Continue reading
Russia / Human capital development is the challenge says OECD
To pursue economic growth, Russia must develop its human capital, which requires structural reforms in education, healthcare and pensions. These, in turn, must respond to major trends in service provision, including the increasing role of individual choice, the need to deliver lifelong learning and healthcare, and the risk that Russians will increasingly buy services abroad, … Continue reading
China’s Grads / Children of Communist Party officials have a substantial advantage
The China Data Center at Tsinghua University recently published a study revealing that new graduates who happen to be the children of Communist Party officials have a substantial advantage compared to their classmates. Starting salaries for these lucky few are nearly 15 percent higher than those of their peers who have no filial government connections. … Continue reading
Canada / People don’t want to move out of province Bank Canada research finds
In theory, this need not be a crippling blow for the national economy. In the above scenario, rational Ontarians should follow the money and migrate to Alberta to take advantage of the boom times. But as a team of Bank Canada economists remind in an excellent new study (pdf), Canada doesn’t really work this way. … Continue reading
India / A summit on employability of engineers
Expressing concern over the lack of employability of engineering graduates in the state, the Odisha Private Engineering College Association (OPECA) has decided to hold an educational conclave on May 17 to guide colleges to maximize students’ employability. “By our own evaluation, only about 35% engineering graduates are getting jobs in their areas of specialization. Another … Continue reading
Thailand and Germany / A treaty on vocational education development
The cabinet has approved a cooperation treaty on vocational education development between Thailand and Germany aimed at bringing excellence to the Thai education. Mr. Tosaporn Sererak, spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office announced the outcomes of the cabinet meeting, saying the ministerial council has approved a treaty in which the Ministry of Education of Thailand … Continue reading
Outsourcing to Asia / 200,000 new jobs in 10 years research finds
More than 200,000 new manufacturing jobs could be created in the next decade as mid-sized manufacturing businesses end the process of outsourcing to Asia according to new research from the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce and supported by Lloyds Banking Group. The ‘Making at home, owning abroad’ study found that … Continue reading
Canada / Immigration age limit for family reunion set at 19 rather than the current 22
Age at immigration is key to newcomers’ economic outcomes, Ottawa says Older children of immigrants will be prevented from joining their parents and siblings in Canada under a new federal government plan to restrict the definition of “dependent child.” The change, which takes effect Jan. 1, will narrow the definition of a dependent child to … Continue reading
China / Skills Gap in logistics
Employers in China face such a severe shortage of logistics staff that one British company is offering work to 20% more candidates than it has jobs. Paul Brooks, sales director of Unipart Logistics, said that the company regularly offered employment to between 10% and 20% more candidates than it had jobs because they knew that … Continue reading
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