Canadian Labour Reporter

MARCH 24, 2014 2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 Job openings drop in December: StatsCan OTTAWA — The number of job open- ings is dwindling, according to Statis- tics Canada. In a report released on March 18, Ca- nadian businesses reported 200,000 job vacancies in December 2013 — down 21,000 compared to 2012. For every job vacancy, there were 6.3 unemployed people, up from 5.7 the previous year. Because the number of unemployed people changed only slightly, the increase in the unemploy- ment-to-job-vacancy ratio was indeed the result of fewer job openings, the report noted. Prince Edward Island saw the high- est ratio at the end of last year — 20.2 unemployed people for every job va- cancy. That's an additional 8.1 people per vacancy compared to December 2012. Western provinces also experienced a jump. In Alberta, there were 2.3 un- employed people per job opening, up from 1.9 in December 2012. In that case, the number of unemployed people went up. Similarly in Saskatchewan, that ratio was 2.4, up from 1.8 the pre- vious year, indicating the number of vacancies fell faster than the number of unemployed people. Across the rest of the country, the unemployment-to-job-vacancy ratios remained steady. Of the major industrial sectors, construction had the highest number of unemployed people for every va- cancy in December at 8.3, unchanged from 2012. This is likely because the construc- tion industry is seasonal, meaning the ratio tends to be higher during the winter months and lower during the summer months. The job vacancy rate declined in five major sectors, including health care and social assistance, administra- tive and support services, wholesale trade, manufacturing and finance and insurance industries. Canada's overall vacancy rate among businesses was 1.3 per cent in Decem- ber 2013, down from 1.5 per cent the previous year. Women struggling to find jobs in Toronto: Study TORONTO — The employment land- scape for women in Toronto is bleak — and not getting better, according to a new report. Entitled Working Women, Working Poor and released on March 6, ahead of International Women's Day, the study tracked 44 women across a range of ages, ethnicities and education levels in Toronto, as well as their experience in the labour market. The study was put out by the Wom- en and Work Research Group, of which unions such as Unifor are a part of. As part of its findings, the report indicated there is a sense that women have lost considerable ground in the workforce, and there exists a feeling of being squeezed across all sectors — particularly amongst older and young- er women. The problem stems from a vicious cycle of short-term contracts and tem- porary jobs, the study noted, fuelled by a precarious labour market. As a result, women tend to get stuck in jobs that fall below their skill level, which leads to the overall "de-skilling of women," the study concluded. In order to level the playing field and tackle such obstacles, the research group looked at a number of recom- mendations, which came directly from the women themselves. That includes a permanent tempo- rary agency unit in the government's employment standards branch, a streamlined strategy for personal sup- port workers and an improved support system for the growing ghetto of wom- en workers, particularly newcomers to the country. FORMERLy CLV REPORTS Serving labour relations professionals since 1956 www.labour-reporter.com Published weekly by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. 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If legal or other expert assistanceis required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. The analysis contained herein represents the opinion of the authors and should in no way be construed as being either official or unofficial policy of any governmental body. ISSN 0045-5113 Publications Registration 2089 Canadian Labour Reporter is part of the Canadian HR Reporter group of publications. Visit www.hrreporter.com for more information. canadian labour reporter Labour Briefs A look at labour news from across Canada. For regular news updates, visit Canadian Labour Reporter at www.labour-reporter.com

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