Michel Cournoyer

India / Red zones / Bank job training for youths

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) plans to train youth from Naxal-hit areas in basic accounting skills. The initiative is aimed at helping the youth find jobs with local banks, where operations often take a hit as few regular employees are willing to be posted in Red zones due to safety concerns. The NSDC, sources … Continue reading →

Skills Gap / Shortfall of 40m forecasted by McKinsey Global Institute, China among the worst hit

High-tech companies face a shortfall of some 40m skilled workers by 2020, with businesses based in China likely to be among the worst hit, according to a study by the McKinsey Global Institute. The institute – a research arm of the McKinsey strategy consultancy – says that manufacturing will be the sector of the global … Continue reading →

NZ / Skills Gap / Rising generation out of jobs

As students look to next year, the Herald begins a week-long investigation into why so many are leaving school without the skills they need. Students James Aylett and Paige Tapara of Rosehill College already have ideas about the careers they’d like to follow. Photo / Natalie Slade A tragic mismatch of skills is shutting most … Continue reading →

United Technologies laying off 500 workers

United Technologies Corp. announced Friday it is laying off 500 salaried and hourly employees worldwide – including some in the Charlotte area – between now and the end of the year. The multinational manufacturing and transportation company, which acquired Charlotte-based Goodrich Corp. this past summer, said it is laying off three workers at its Monroe … Continue reading →

Citigroup / To cut 300 sales and trading jobs in 2012

Citigroup Inc (C.N) is on track to cut 300 sales and trading jobs globally this year, as part of its plan to streamline its banking operations, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people briefed on the process. The sales and trading unit of the bank employs about 17,000 people, the Journal said. (link.reuters.com/kyz93t) A Citigroup … Continue reading →

P&G / To cut more jobs, on top of cutting 10 percent

Procter & Gamble plans to trim more non-manufacturing jobs through 2016, on top of cutting 10 percent of that workforce by the end of June, as the world’s largest household-products maker tries to reinvigorate what has become a sluggish organization. P&G also said it may increase stock repurchases to $6 billion from $4 billion, but … Continue reading →

Survey / Hiring managers will hire Matures over Millennials

A recent survey on behalf of the staffing firm Adecco USA Inc. finds that hiring managers will hire Matures (50 years old and above) over Millennials (22 through 31 years old). In fact, they hire Matures three times as often (60 percent versus 20 percent). As might be anticipated because of the level of responsibility, … Continue reading →

Scotland / Areva will create 750 jobs in new wind turbine plant

Areva, one of Europe’s largest offshore wind energy players, confirmed today that it will locate its UK turbine manufacturing site in Scotland.The announcement, which was made this morning during the First Minister’s visit to Paris, could create 750 jobs in Scotland from manufacturing and the supporting supply chain.The company today signed a strategic agreement with … Continue reading →

China / Minorities are disadvantaged in the job search process concludes a study

Reza Hasmath, Benjamin Ho and Elaine M. Liu estimate wage differentials between ethnic minorities and the Han majority in China from 1989 to 2006 in Ethnic Minority Disadvantages in China’s Labor Market? on seh.ox.ac.uk (Adapted choosen excerpts by JMM to follow) A decade after market reforms commenced in 1978, the Communist Party of China (CPC) abandoned its job assignment system. In … Continue reading →

United States and the major European economies – Bouncing Back from the Great Recession

When the economic shocks that cause recessions in different economies have large common components, there may be lessons to be learned by studying how different economies respond write Thomas F. Cooley, B. Ravikumar, and Peter Rupert in  Bouncing Back from the Great Recession: The United States Versus Europe  in Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Economic Synopses (Adapted … Continue reading →

Facebook / Users who have recently lost a job feel greater stress

Among those who have recently lost a job, social networksin general and online ones in particular may be useful to cope with stress and find new employment write Moira Burke and Robert Kraut in Using Facebook after Losing a Job: Differential Benefits of Strong and Weak Ties on thoughtcrumbs.com. (Adapted choosen excerpts by JMM to follow) The study focuses on … Continue reading →

Research Network on Inequality and Poverty

Originally posted on GDNet Blog:
Combating poverty and inequality is on the top of priorities for many development organizations. This is why the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA), the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank came together to launch their joint initiative “Network on Inequality and Poverty”. The objective of the initiative…

America’s Recovery: The Labor Market

Housing slowdown to hit Quebec job growth

BC / Immigration / Visa program suspended

Six months after the B.C. government called for more authority to boost its intake of skilled immigrants, officials have suspended a program that fast-tracked visas for business investors following a suspicious surge in applications. British Columbia’s provincial nominee program saw an “extraordinary” increase in the number of business applicants for a category that promised a … Continue reading →