Business
Part-time Work Fuels Canada’s Labour Market in 2016
Canada’s job market ended 2016 with a bang — recording an unexpected boost in full-time work in December — even though last year was all about the part-timers.
Statistics Canada’s year-end employment review Friday said the country added 153,700 net new part-time jobs last year and just 60,400 full-time positions — a number so low it was statistically insignificant. The final number for 2016 would have actually shown a loss in full-time work had it not been for a surprise December gain of 81,300 new positions in the category.
December’s gain was the biggest one-month increase in full-time employment in almost five years, with the new jobs concentrated in the services sector and also in the professional, scientific and technical services fields, while self employment pulled back last month.
“The softest period for Canadian employment seems to be behind us,” said Robert Kavcic, vice president and senior economist at BMO Capital Markets.
He pointed to the fact that almost all of the job increases in 2016 occurred from August to December, signalling momentum for the labour market into 2017.
Kavcic also noted that the pace of job losses has finally stopped in Alberta, where 10,000 to 20,000 jobs a month were shed amid tanking oil prices, “and that’s a big negative out of the national equation.”
In the 12 months to December, the unemployment rate declined by 0.2 percentage points to 6.9 per cent, but it ticked up from 6.8 per cent in November as more Canadians entered the labour force.
However economists point out that job growth in 2016 was mainly concentrated in part-time employment up until November.
“This is unusual to see outside of a recession,” said Brian DePratto, senior economist at TD Economics.
“Labour market performance in 2016 was consistent with an economy that faced a number of setbacks and is continuing to struggle to find traction. This is perhaps best reflected in the marked deceleration of earnings growth in the latter half of the year,” he said.
“This, together with soft inflation figures, is likely to leave the Bank of Canada comfortable sitting on the sidelines (and maintaining an easing bias) for some time to come,” said DePratto in a research note.
The 2016 job picture represents a stark shift from year-end results in the past two years, when the agency reported gains of 156,000 full-time jobs in 2014 and 147,000 in 2015.
The service sector continues to lead employment growth overall, with a 2 per cent gain last year, the report says.
British Columbia recorded the fastest employment growth rate among the provinces for a second consecutive year, up 3.1 per cent. In Ontario, employment increased 1.2 per cent (81,000) in 2016, mainly in part-time work (74,000).
Alberta had some good news in December with 6,900 jobs created, causing the provincial unemployment rate to fall from 9 per cent in November to 8.5 per cent in December.
Also on Friday, Statistics Canada said the country’s trade balance had swung to a $526 million surplus, its first monthly surplus in over two years, The Canadian Press reported. Exports rose 4.3 per cent, mostly due to an increase in sales of metal and non-metallic mineral products and record exports to countries other than the United States.
Exports to countries other than the U.S. increased 9.5 per cent to hit a record $12 billion, beating the previous record set in December 2011, the agency said. It was the biggest monthly percentage increase since May 2008, the report added.
“Canada experienced an unexpected hiring spree of full-time jobs in December and delivered strong export growth in November. These strong reports in late 2016 set the stage for the Canadian economy to deliver a better performance in 2017,” said Craig Alexander, senior vice-president and chief economist at the Conference Board of Canada.
Beauty enthusiasts rejoice! Beauty Week at Hudson’s Bay is back in Toronto for another year. It’s time to stock up on all of your fall essentials and, maybe discover some new ones.
From Friday, August 18 to Sunday, August 27, you can expect a truly elevated beauty experience in-store with incredible special offers, limited-time gifts, and exciting activations.
If you’re a diehard beauty lover, you’ll already know that Hudson’s Bay is the place to shop thanks to its extensive range of over 195 skin and makeup brands from both luxury labels and masstige brands — including Tata Harper, Estée Lauder, YSL, Nars Cosmetics, Bobbi Brown, and so much more.
Throughout The Bay’s Beauty Week, visitors can take in some at-counter activations and interactive expert-led tutorials, where there will be chances to get makeup touch-ups from top-tier brands, try a spritz of the most alluring fragrances, and sample tons of new products.
This year’s Beauty Week highlight is the ‘Best in Beauty’ tote, a meticulously-curated selection of 30 deluxe samples from an array of top-tier brands like Dr. Barbara Sturm and Shiseido spanning skincare, fragrance, and makeup — all in a super sleek bag.
The tote, which is valued at over $300, is retailing for just $39 and is a fantastic way to explore new products (without breaking the bank). However, there is a limited quantity, so if you want to get your hands on one, you’ll need to be fast.
Wondering exactly what Beauty Week’s free gifts with purchases entail? If you spend over $95 at Lancôme, you will receive a six-piece set valued at $130. Or, you can get an Estée Lauder gift valued at $170 with purchases over $80. (And that’s just to name a few.)
If you’re a Hudson’s Bay Rewards member, you’ll also get $20 in Hudson’s Bay rewards when you spend over $100 on beauty.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have several non-combat jobs, some of which do not require a college degree or past work experience.
Life in the forces has several benefits, such as paid education plans (college, university and graduate-level programs), 20 paid vacation days, health and dental coverage for you and your family, maternity and paternal leave, and pension plans. You can learn more about the benefits in detail here.
And to make it easier to gauge if you qualify, the listings also include related civilian jobs to see if it’s your ideal role.
Financial services administrator
Related civilian jobs: Financial records entry clerk, financial manager, accounting technician, bookkeeper, budget officer, cashier clerk, business planner technician, and verification manager.
Description: You’ll help budget resources for all military activities besides providing financial assistance.
Education: You need to have completed Grade 10.
Duties: As a financial services administrator, you’ll be responsible for bookkeeping and managing budgets. You’ll also provide support in accounts payable and accounts receivable.
Work environment: Those in this role work at CAF bases, on ships or overseas. You might also be expected to help special operation units, recruiting offices, schools, and medical organizations.
Postal clerk
Related civilian jobs: Mail clerk, mail sorter.
Description: You’ll provide postal services to members and their families at bases and establishments.
Education: Grade 10. No previous work experience or related career skills are required.
Duties: As the postal clerk, you’ll handle mail duties.
Work environment: Besides a postal office, you may work on a ship or a mobile postal van. You might be expected to serve with Royal Canadian Navy, the Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force in Canada and abroad.
Dental technician
Related civilian jobs: Dental assistant, dental hygienist.
Description: You’ll be helping dental officers provide dental services to CAF members, their families, and dependents.
Education: Level II dental assisting diploma from an accredited college or a National Dental Assisting Examining Board (NDAEB) certificate.
Duties: Those in this role will be responsible for various responsibilities, including disinfection and sterilization of dental equipment, applying rubber dams, placing cavity liners, and controlling bleeding. In addition, you’ll assist in laboratory procedures like creating casts, custom trays, and mouthguards.
Work environment: This role will require you to work in a military dental clinic, a Mobile Dental Clinic, an Air Transportable Dental System, or onboard a ship. You might be expected to work on a base in Canada or other operations in other parts of the world.
Human resources administrator
Related civilian jobs: Records administrator, data entry supervisor, receptionist, office manager, executive assistant, payroll clerk, and information management technician.
Description: Provide administrative and general human resources support.
Education: Grade 10. No previous work experience or related career skills are required.
Duties: In addition to human resources administration and services, you’ll be handling pay and allowances, managing automated pay systems, and maintaining personnel records.
Work environment: HR administrators work at all CAF bases in Canada. They also work on ships and overseas to support the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, or Royal Canadian Air Force operations.
Medical assistant
Related civilian jobs: Emergency medical responder, ambulance and first aid attendant, registered nursing assistant, licensed practical nurse, and hospital orderly.
Description: Successful candidates will help treat the sick and injured in CAF units. You’ll be assisting and supporting nursing and medical officers.
Education: Minimum of Grade 11 biology, Grade 10 physics or chemistry, and Grade 10 math.
Duties: You’ll provide initial care and essential life support treatments in trauma cases. You’ll help with health assessments (hearing and vision tests, perform basic lab procedures, etc.) and initiate and manage medical records and reports. You’ll also be expected to provide support and first aid during training exercises.
Work environment: Medical assistants may serve with the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force or the Canadian Army as part of the Canadian Forces Health Services Group. Those in this role are exposed to the same risks as the forces they support.
Porter Airlines is once again stirring the pot among Canadian airline rivals, now going after Air Canada’s Aeroplan members by offering to match their loyalty status to an equivalent of their own.
The beloved airline, which recently ranked as having the best cabin service in North America, challenged the competition for the second time this year, after previously deploying a similar tactic against WestJet in the spring.
Earlier in April, Porter presented customers with a limited-time offer to match the loyalty status of WestJet’s patrons with VIPorter levels.
Now, they’re offering Aeroplan members to seamlessly transition to an equivalent VIPorter Avid Traveller status based on their existing membership tier.
Members can then take advantage of an array of travel perks that come with flying Porter, including seat selection, baggage, and flight changes.
For those currently holding an Aeroplan membership, there are two ways to acquire the Avid Traveller status for the rest of 2023:
Status-Based Match:
- Aeroplan 25K members = VIPorter Venture
- Aeroplan 35K members = VIPorter Ascent
- Aeroplan 50K, 75K, and Super Elite = VIPorter First
Flight Segments-Based Match:
- 5 flight segments = VIPorter Passport
- 8 segments = VIPorter Venture
- 17 segments = VIPorter Ascent
- 28 or more segments = VIPorter First
Members will have to first submit their applications on Porter’s website. Registration will remain open until September 6, 2023.
In order to maintain their membership level through 2024, customers will have until the end of 2023 to reach the following reduced qualifying spend (QS) targets:
- Passport = $500 in QS
- Venture = $750 in QS
- Ascent = $1500 in QS
- First = $2500 in QS
Over the past year, Porter has launched an aggressive expansion strategy, including everything from introducing longer flights on newly-purchased jet planes flying out of Toronto Pearson, free WiFi, and a new all-inclusive economy experience.
With Canadians losing both Swoop and Sunwing as WestJet incorporates both into their mainline business, Porter’s direct competition is welcome to keep prices competitive.
-
Lifestyle8 months agoOntario Line subway construction permanently shuts down beloved Toronto bakery
-
Business8 months agoThe Canadian Armed Forces are hiring for several non-combat military jobs
-
Business8 months agoPorter’s new loyalty program promises to match Air Canada’s Aeroplan status
-
Business8 months agoPeople call out Sobeys for ridiculous prices after another expensive find at Ontario store
-
Business8 months ago‘Here, everything feels much closer’: Entrepreneur says leaving Toronto for Innisfil good for business
-
Lifestyle8 months agoWoman crashes car and runs around highway with bottle of booze on typical day in Toronto
-
Lifestyle8 months agoCanada considers capping international student visas to address housing crisis
-
Business8 months agoBeauty Week is back at Hudson’s Bay in Toronto and it’s time to get glam