There has been a meme in the media that the recession is fading and we will see a significant growth in the next quarter. However, if the recent employment recipient numbers from Stats Canada, is anything to go, we are not close to a market change. If anything, the Canadian job market seems to continue to soften with some provinces seeing incredibly high growth in employment benefits recipients since the recession started last October.
The recent numbers released by Stats Canada has shown that the Canadian labour market saw its largest increase in employment benefits recipients in March 2009, the biggest growth since the recession started in October 2008. The most dramatic were seen in the Alberta and British Columbia labour markets, areas that were hit particularly hard.
Though we saw an increase in employment in April, this was mainly due to 36,000 new self-employed Canadians. Through these Stats Canada numbers, we continue to see a significant deterioration of the employment market in Canada from October 2008 to March 2009. During this time, there was a 36.2% increase in employment insurance recipients. This increase is seen in all provinces and territories across Canada and according to Stats Canada, with the largest percentage growth in recipients in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario.
Data for the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia shows month-over-month increases in their number of EI recipients. Alberta saw a 32.1% growth to 42,500 in March, the fastest growing monthly increase across the nation according to Stats Canada, with a 131.1% overall growth over a five-month period from October 2008 to March 2009. It should be noted that Alberta’s growth in EI recipients is significantly above the national average across Canada.
On the other hand, British Columbia saw an 26.7% increase in the number of EI recipients to 82, 200, one of the fastest monthly increases in Canada. Over the five-month period from October 2008 to March 2009, British Columbia saw an overall 80.5% increase.
Though the numbers were not as significant as British Columbia and Alberta, the provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario also reported increases in the number of regular beneficiaries. However, their numbers were closer to the national average.
There was also growth in the number of EI recipient in various segments of the job market. There was a sharp increase in number of men receiving employment benefits, with a +54.8% in comparison with a +37.9% growth for women during the same five month period. For both sexes, the increase in the number of regular beneficiaries was higher for youth under 25 years old, at 56.1%.
What do these numbers mean for job seekers? For many it means, holding on to what may be perceived to be secure jobs, and for others, it means leaving a sinking ship in companies who are facing problems in those local markets. Over the past 10 years or so, many Canadians have been flocking to Alberta due to its seeming insatiable thirst for workers. These numbers should serve as a wakeup call. I advise job seekers to polishing up those resumes and start looking for unique opportunities in the job market.
Surranna Sandy is the President of ResumeSolutions.ca. Ms Sandy is a Canadian expert in resume writing, interview preparation, career coaching,, employment trends, hiring practices and workplace issues. Ms. Sandy partners with both Fortune 100 companies and individuals to deliver targeted programs focusing on résumé development, job search strategies, networking, interviewing, and salary negotiation skills. Contact Ms. Sandy via email at
info@resumesolutions.ca or by phone at (416) 361-1290/1-866-361-1290. |
