“Diversity: Strategies for the Changing Workforce”

The one day forum “Diversity: Strategies for the Changing Workforce” brought in key practitioners and expert panelists to talk about issues of diversity, inclusiveness, new technologies and generation Y.  Over 120 participants attended the event to share ideas for creating a more inclusive and flexible workplace. Resources, discussions and presentations are available at http://diversitystrategies.pbworks.com. This event was a partnership between Toronto Training Board, Working Skills Center and Working Women Community Centre.  The event was a huge success, as reflected in the evaluations and the comments from speakers and participants.

“Working Together for Women’s Employment”

October is Small Business Month in Ontario and to celebrate Toronto Training Board’s “Working Together for Women’s Employment” hosted a Home-Based Business Bazaar on October 29th 2009 at Thorncliffe Public School. The bazaar brought in over 200 community members and concluded a four session series entitled “Women at Work”. Local merchants displayed their products such as jewellery, scarves, pottery, clothes, and more. Resources on starting your own home based business were available. Other partners include Don Mills Employment Centre, Flemingdon Neighbourhood Services, MicroSkills, Minister of Education Kathleen Wynne’s constituency office,  Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office, the Centre for Education and Training and Microskills.

Labour Market News

Labour Force Survey

The Daily
Statistics Canada
October 9, 2009

Employment in Ontario increased slightly as large full-time gains were dampened by losses in part time.

Manufacturing and construction up in September

Manufacturing employment in Canada increased by 26,000 in September, the first notable increase since February 2009. Employment in this industry had the sharpest rate of decline since the start of the labour market downturn in the fall of 2008, down 10.6% (-210,000). Following an increase the previous month, employment in construction rose again in September (+25,000). Despite these recent increases, employment in this industry has fallen by 6.7% (-84,000) since October 2008. There was an employment gain of 18,000 in educational services in September. Since October 2008, employment in this industry has declined by 1.6% (-20,000).

Toronto's Struggling Economy: Employment Is Up But So Are Welfare Rolls

National Post, Toronto
Allison Hanes
October 16, 2009

Toronto’s economic recovery is coming, but the latest economic data indicate the city hasn’t turned the corner to recovery just yet according to experts. The seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was down to 11.3% in September from 11.8% in August, but still higher than the 8.6% a year ago, when the economic downturn became dramatic.
The total number of Ontario Works benefits cases in September hit 94,043, up from 92,466 a month earlier, providing relief to some 158,745 individuals.The cases are not necessarily growing because people continue to be laid off, but because exit or termination packages have ended and the Employment Insurance premiums have run out, forcing people to turn to the city.

Toronto: A City Of Startling Contradictions

Toronto Community Foundation
News Realease
October 6, 2009

Toronto’s Vital Signs® Report 2009, released today by the Toronto Community Foundation, finds Toronto still climbing the ranks of “world class” cities, but like so many others, Toronto is failing on many issues vital to our future success.
For the fourth year in a row Toronto ranks 15th out of 215 global cities in the 2009 Mercer Quality of Living Survey. The 2008 MasterCard index of 75 leading global centres of commerce says Toronto is 13th in liveability and 4th in ease of doing business in the world. However:
Toronto is “seriously unaffordable”, ranking 190th in the world for affordable housing. Canada ranks last among 14 western nations in spending on early learning, childcare, and kindergarten programs. And the indicators show that more than 30% of children five and under are in Low Income families.

Immigrants

One-third Of Homeless In City Are Immigrants

More than a third of Toronto's homeless are immigrants, many falling through the cracks due to a lack of jobs and housing, says a new study, the first in Canada to look at immigration status and homelessness. The study, led by St. Michael's Hospital, surveyed 1,189 individuals in shelters and on meal programs across the city and found that 32 per cent were immigrants and 10 per cent had been here less than a decade. The numbers did not include refugees, undocumented migrants or those who did not speak English. A majority of Canadian-born homeless people in the study had high school education or less, but many homeless immigrants have vocational training, college or university education, said the article, "The Health of Homeless Immigrants," published in the November issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Women

Women Outpacing Men As Small Business Owners

Globe and Mail
Dave McGinn
October 20, 2009

Female entrepreneurs, owners of companies with 500 employees or less, are driving some of Canada's most successful small ventures. According to Profit magazine in its recently released annual ranking of the top 100 women entrepreneurs, they're far outpacing their male counterparts. From 1976 to 2008, the number of self-employed men in Canada roughly doubled, from 873,400 to 1,719,700, according to Statistics Canada. The number of self-employed women nearly tripled over the same period, going from 311,600 to 909,900.

Youth

Promising Young Students Get Scholarships

Almost half of the national scholarships given by the Black Business Professional Association (BBPA) were awarded to promising young students in Toronto.Despite a poor economic year for many of the fund's sponsors, it was actually able to attract more sponsorships than ever before."I was excited and happy we are able to give 47 scholarships, but we still had to turn away about 100 young people," said the chair of the BBPA National Scholarship Fund. "That sends a strong message of how we as a community need to rally for our young people." She attributes this to an increasing awareness that accessible university education for young black students is the best way to invest in the future of industry.

Education

Board To Review Future Of 35 Toronto Schools

With more than 100 half-empty schools and 20,000 fewer students expected in the next five years, the Toronto District School Board will launch an immediate review of schools in eight neighbourhoods, with a view to closing some as early as September 2011. The reviews involve 35 schools and one unused site. They will begin in November with the forming of committees of staff, parents and community members.

Other News

10 Promising Jobs For 2010

Starting salaries in the accounting and finance, information technology (IT), and administrative fields are expected to remain relatively flat or see modest declines next year, but some positions will buck this trend, according to the 2010 Salary Guides from Robert Half International. Research for the guides provides insight into compensation and hiring trends within each field, and identifies 10 positions where national average salaries are holding strong or seeing slight gains.

The Precarious Economy

According to Ken Lewenza, President, Canadian Autoworkers and Deena Ladd, of the Workers Action Centre, precarious forms of employment threaten real economic recovery. The number of permanent full-time, stable jobs is declining. In their place has grown an unprecedented number of temporary, contract-based, involuntary part-time, and self-employed jobs.In Canada this has slowly but surely become the norm. Precarious work has grown since the 1970s, accelerating over the last decade. In 2008, more than one-third (36 per cent) of Canadian workers fell into this category.

VOLUME 9

Career Goals In High School: Do Students Know What It Takes to Reach Them, And Does It Matter?

The TTB- Email Bulletin is an electronic newsletter providing updates on TTB activities and links to training and labour market information in the City of Toronto. The TTB- Email Bulletin is compiled by Enriketa Dushi and brought to you by the Toronto Training Board at: http://www.ttb.on.ca

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