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The Toronto Training Board's Annual General Meeting The Toronto Training Board's Annual General Meeting was held on September 27th at the Gladstone Hotel. Our guest speaker, Andrea Garson, Vice President, Human Resources, Workopolis, spoke on the importance of work/life balance. Her remarks led to a lively debate. New members joined the TTB Board of Directors. The TTB looks forward to another year serving our community.Toronto Training Board's Labour Market News Labour Force SurveyThe Daily Ontario's overall employment picture showed little growth in August. Gains in a number of service industries were offset by a large decline in transportation and warehousing. Employment in the province's goods sector fell by 20,000 in August, about half of which was in manufacturing. At the same time, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 6.4%. So far this year, employment in the province has risen 0.7%, half the national growth rate. Student summer labour market hottest since the early 90s Favourable labour market conditions allowed students to experience their best summer job market in more than 15 years. The average employment rate for students this summer (from May to August) was 54.6%, the highest since 1991. At the same time, the average unemployment rate was 12.9%, the lowest since the summer of 1990. Export-Sensitive Manufacturing Sector Hampering Growth. Better Conditions Expected for 2008Toronto Star Toronto's economy is expected to lag behind those of many western Canadian cities this year. It should strengthen in 2008 if the strong dollar does not take an even higher toll on the battered manufacturing sector, the Conference Board of Canada says. The unemployment rate for the Toronto census metropolitan area is forecast to remain high before edging down to 6.3 per cent in 2011, the group said in a study of 13 cities released yesterday. Unemployment is forecast at 6.7 per cent this year and 6.8 per cent in 2008. Canada's jobless rate stands at a 33-year low of 6 per cent. Tens of thousands of export-sensitive manufacturing jobs have been lost here, although job creation has been strong in other sectors, said the study. "The strong Canadian dollar has wreaked havoc on industries sensitive to foreign trade, in particular the manufacturing sector, dampening overall economic growth in Canada's largest census metropolitan area," the Conference Board said. "Toronto's manufacturing sector is hurting." Good Help Is Hard To FindIs bringing in foreign temp workers the way to fix a huge and growing skilled labour shortage? Toronto Star The owner of Toronto-based Viana Roofing and Sheet Metal Ltd. has been in the business for 25 years. He can't remember when there hasn't been a shortage of workers in his trade. The past few years have been by far the toughest for him.The older generation is exiting in large numbers and it seems too few replacements are in sight. "We are not the preferred trade for students coming out of schools," says the 51-year-old. "We make presentations at colleges, but if students have a choice of becoming an electrician or a roofer, they choose electrician."But amid tremendous growth in Ontario's residential and industrial construction sectors there's also a shortage of electricians. Other tradespeople such as carpenters, plumbers and bricklayers are in high demand, too. A potential annual income of $100,000 and chances to become entrepreneurs have not been enough to bring young Canadians into the construction industry to replace an aging workforce. Things are so desperate that some employers are trying to steal workers from competitors. A forecast released in June by the Construction Sector Council (CSC) estimates that 85,000 new skilled workers will be needed in Ontario over the next nine years. 50,000 of those are required just to replace retirees. Immigrants/Visible minoritiesBirthplace Affects Job Prospects For Foreign-Trained ProfessionalsCBC News Where doctors and engineers emigrate from has a big impact on whether they find work in their fields in Canada, according to a new Statistics Canada study. Using numbers from the 2001census, it found immigrants from Western Europe, China and India were more likely to practise medicine in Canada while foreign-trained engineers had better luck getting a job if they were accredited in North America, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. Underemployment in both professions was most notable for individuals coming from other Asian countries and Eastern Europe. 'Colour of Poverty' Project LaunchedToronto Star While the poverty rate among white Canadians has fallen over the last two decades, the number of racial minorities who live under the poverty line has almost quadrupled. That's just one set of startling statistics revealed by a coalition representing Toronto's visible minority communities as they gathered in Thorncliffe Park to launch the "Colour of Poverty" project. This is, a grassroots political campaign to organize the poor to fight for equal opportunities in the city. Racialized communities are experiencing a disporportionate level of poverty," said Ryerson University professor Grace-Edward Galabuzi, author of Canada's Economic Apartheid. "In Toronto, they are three times more likely to be poor than others because of the barriers and challenges they face in the job market." YouthYoung Adults Stay At Home And ProsperCanada News Wire According to the 2006 Census, 44 per cent of young Canadian adults still live at home. Across the country, the number of jobs for degree-holders doubled from 1.9 million in 1990 to 3.8 million in 2006. Among workers who had not completed high school or some post-secondary education, the number of jobs dropped by 1.3 million. Proof of how well young people have grasped this economic reality is in the ever-expanding number of full-time university students: In 2006, there were about 700,000 undergraduates and 115,000 graduate students.It is estimated university enrolment will grow over the next 10 years by between 70,000 and 150,000 students. WomenPink Ghettos Remain As Entrenched As Ever. Many Canadian Women Still Work In Traditional ProfessionsFinancial PostJoanna Pachner September 15, 2007 Despite a decades-long influx of women into the workplace, pink ghettos remain entrenched. The term dates back to a study from the early 1980s that found certain professions dominated by women offer less pay and less opportunity for advancement. These vocations include teaching, clerical work, retail, nursing and public relations, among others. A quarter century later, more than two-thirds of Canadian women continue to work in traditionally female professions, according to a 2006 Statistics Canada study. What's more, women also continue to earn less, averaging 71% of their male counterparts' salaries --another figure that hasn't moved much. In fact, StatsCan has found that real, inflation-adjusted wages in female-dominated disciplines such as health and education have actually declined 3% over the past 25 years. EducationMissing Piece Of Poverty PictureToronto Sun Adult education, the key to helping many parents improve their families' lives, is absent in the public debate about schools and poverty. Statistics Canada estimates that almost half of adult Canadians don't have the minimum reading skills to cope with everyday life and work, a figure that has been stuck at virtually the same level for decades. Studies show that poor literacy greatly increases a person's likelihood of suffering unemployment, poverty, and illness – risks that apply to his or her children as well. There are approximately 9 million Canadians between 16 and 65 with inadequate literacy skills. TD Financial Group recently published a report entitled "Literacy Matters: A Call for Action" that cites the same numbers. Other NewsTo Solve Labour Crunch, Employers And Educators Must Get ProactiveGlobe and Mail Current labour shortages demonstrate the severe consequences of Canada's poor track record in skill development. But some smart solutions point the way for concerted action by employers and educators before the crunch really hits. The C-Suite Survey of executives reported the highlights, the pain, the higher operating costs and weaker productivity. Some firms are hiring unqualified staff, who will need extra training and supervision. Others that can't fill positions end up cutting hours of service.
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VOLUME 9
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TTB Higlights - Visible minorities TTB Resources About this Newsletter(un)Subscribe |
Arrival Survival Canada To Be Published By Oxford University Press In The Canadian Newcomer Series
Oxford University Press CanadaFounder/Publisher of the Canadian Immigrant magazine, Naeem (Nick) Noorani, and Oxford University Press are pleased to announce the signing of Arrival Survival Canada. Considered one of the most comprehensive resource guides for newcomers, Arrival Survival Canada will be in bookstores in March 2008.
Arrival Survival Canada is a best-selling handbook for new immigrants, providing well-researched, current facts and information, immigrant success stories, and a comprehensive look at some of the issues that immigrants face. The book is an immigrant's guide to life in Canada and covers a wide array of subjects such as what to pack before emigrating (and what not to!), obtaining a SIN card, opening bank accounts, upgrading education and skills, creating a credit history, and understanding Canadian culture.
Fact Sheet on Self-Employed Women
A Commitment to Training and Employment for Women
ACTEW released a fact sheet on self-employment, the fifth in a series on employment issues. As of 2003, Canadian women entrepreneurs were contributing more than $18.109 billion to the economy each year. One in ten Canadian women are self-employed and women account for more than one-third of all self-employed workers. Yet self-employed women make less than employed women and have little access to government training, benefits and insurance programs.
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
To subscribe or unsubscribe to the TTB-email bulletin, simply visit the TTB web site at http://www.ttb.on.ca/e/ebulletin_new.php and fill your email address in the subscribe / unsubscribe box.
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