Canadian Jobs

[Arab Nights (imported)]

The Toronto Globe and Mail, Monday, March 5, page A13, Editorial & Comment Section: "Mind the gap: No 'people skills,' no job."

The article talks about a looming work-force shortage which has already hit western Canada. It is not the number of people. It is the skills they have. One factor in Canada is the work force is aging and retiring rapidly. The second is the lack of knowledge skills that come with the younger generation. Apparantly there have been a lot of articles about that. This article was about the lack of skills like working and communicating with others, thinking abstractly and able to learn new things. Seems the Canadian economy now is requiring new things and people are coming out of the K-12 schools without those abilities.

Amazing when somebody else has the same problems.

[Riverwind (imported)]

Much like our kids today, they can't carry on a conversation with out looking at their phone every couple seconds, they are so connected that they are missing living. True they have no skills, have you looked at a text message lately. This does not surprise me one bit.

River

[moi621 (imported)]

Is this another rip on thread?

From

http://www.eunuch.org/forums/showthread ... dian-Jokes



In Canada, we have two seasons...six months of winter

and six months poor snowmobiling.



A Canadian is walking down the street with a case of

beer under his arm.

His friend Doug stops him and asks, "Hey Bob! Whacha

get the case of beer for?"

"I got it for my wife, eh." answers Bob.

"Oh!" exclaims Doug, "Good trade."

[StefanIsMe (imported)]

Love the 2nd joke, Moi!

It's true, this thread. Uncle Richard, in Saskatchewan, builds RTM (ready to move) homes. He has about 30 employees. He constantly advertises for skilled tradesmen; as of January, he has a permanent advertisement in three newspapers offering excellent wages to skilled framers, electricians, and plumbers. He is constantly understaffed.

If you can work and are good, you WILL get good employment in western/central canada if you are licensed in any of the following: masonry, plumbing, long-haul cross-border trucking, construction, diesle mechanic, road-crew equipment operator, nurse, doctor (ESP rural).

Those are the top trades right now here. Schools are ramping up courses like crazy; trade schools hardly even advertise for students anymore, but check out the Wpg Free Press help-wanted section under teaching careers; last Saturday, there was a PAGE AND A HALF of ads just for teachers for courses related to the above trades.

It's a workers paradise around here.

[Arab Nights (imported)]

So in Yahoo Canada one of those stories at the bottom of the homepage this morning is about whether it is time to panic about the Canadian home market. The in-word is 'narrative' and their narrative is that they have been very virtuous compared to the US.

The US market began tanking in late 2005-2006. The average American had $1.30 in debt for every dollar of income. Housing employment (construction + mortgage folks, etc) was 23.5% of workforce. Home ownership reached 69% of total population, yet Americans had decreasing equity as they pulled out $900 billion from their homes.

In the 3rd quarter of 2011, Canadians had $1.53 in debt for every dollar of income. All the builders, mortgage sellers, etc. total 27% of the workforce. Home ownership has reached 66%, but home equity has dropped 20% in four years as people pulled money out of their homes. There were several examples from the past year of young couples for $C400,000 only being able to afford fixer-uppers (note the 1$US = $0.92C) and they kept being outbid when they upped their budget to $500,000. The story ends that home prices fell 4.5% December to January and foreclosures in Kelowna, BC have gone up 100% in the past year.

[StefanIsMe (imported)]

I think with a bit more context, you will see our situation is nothing (nothing) like the one in the USA six years ago.

First, the locals that are losing value in SFD's (single family dwellings) are few and far between. Kelowna, Nanaimo, and areas of Vancouver have been grossly overvalued for years; those shifts in value are no surprise. At the same time, Winnipeg, Calgary, Brandon, Regina, and Saskatoon (the only ones I know for sure about) are experiencing some areas of mild drop in price but are mostly gaining, still, after significant gains for well over a decade.

We are more in debt than we should be, yes. However, our system can handle our present situation.

I am no banker and I don't have details for you, but I'm sure there are many here who can explain the following better: Our banks are NOTHING like yours in the USA. They are firmly regulated. Our banks are extremely healthy with massive profits (yes, we citizens don't like that part, but...) and solid as rocks compared to the ones that tumbled or got bailed out in the States. Among other things others can explain better, our banks simply have never engaged, and will not engage, in the trading of mortgages of the type that brought down your system (I forget the name... '3rd class debt'? Argh).

[devi (imported)]

How would somebody get a nursing degree in Canada from the US? Is that possible?

I could go up there and build a seventeen by seventeen foot house real fast. 2x6 Blocking:567, door:765, windows 567x765mm, end plates, side top plates 2567x2, /but with American dimension lumber other than the 2400 wall studs.

[Arab Nights (imported)]

Thanks for the clarification, StefanIsMe. I didn't mean to dump on you guys. It is just interesting to go to other countries and see what is said. Granted it is a superficial looksee.

Really enjoyed the trip by the way - except for the weather. Back to Arizona sunshine today.

[StefanIsMe (imported)]

Where were you, if I may ask? You mention the TG&M, but one can get that anywhere across the country.

Mildest winter in decades here in the middle of the prairies, except for the huge snow-dump in the last couple weeks. But... no WAY can we compete with Arizona at this time of year!!

[Arab Nights (imported)]

I was in Toronto for the big resource conference. $22 breakfast with tinyest dabs of caviar on my hand crafted something or other (White Castle toast for my fellow rednecks). $350/night hotels, but I got to pinch a better type of soap and shampoo (sorry, body purificant and grapefruit cleanse) for the house.

I got to watch the Maple Leafs game on a 30 foot screen in a sports bar. Wow! What movement and energy! I checked on getting Maple Leafs jerseys for the kids, but at $C200 each, that is too much for this boy.

Most importantly, I learned stuff, met new people and saw some people I often only see once a year there. I really enjoyed it.