Hope lies within IT and health
Economic downturn or not, there are jobs out there
ROBYN YOUNG FOR METRO CANADA
December 2008
With over 50,000 jobs recently slashed at America’s biggest bank and the automotive industry spiraling ever deeper into debt, it’s hard not to worry about employment, or the lack thereof.
But career services experts in Canada say there are still jobs to be had for those with the right skills and the country’s employment situation isn’t as bad as the headlines might suggest.
The massive job cuts, says the president of Workopolis.ca, are happening in the United States and have yet to reach Canada.
“In the U.S. we’re seeing extremely high unemployment rates: Between 6 and 6.5 per cent which is really, really high for the U.S.,” said Pat Sullivan, president of Workopolis. “In Canada, we’re at 20-year lows for unemployment and it’s important to keep that in perspective.”
Statistics Canada reported an unemployment rate of 6.2 per cent in October while the rate at the same time last year was 5.8 per cent. In October, 1999, the unemployment rate in the country was 7.2 per cent.
While it’s important to keep things in perspective, Sullivan said, with the stock market as volatile as it’s been it’s also important to remain cautious and many Canadian companies are doing just that through hiring freezes and cutting down on capital costs.
But economic downturn or not, there are sectors that continue to thrive and search out new hires.
“In some areas like technology, we’re still seeing great demand; in areas like health care we’re seeing great demand,” Sullivan said.
In addition, employees with accounting skills are in high demand, says Greg McKeown, director at People Source, an employment solutions company in Toronto.
“When we are going through some of these uncertain times, it’s even more imperative, for example, that companies have top notch accountants driving the business,” he said.
Companies have to watch their money more closely, monitor their budgets better, cut costs and improve on financial analysis, he said.
There continues to be jobs in Information Technology (IT) said McKeown and Sullivan, but many companies are now looking for employees with more specified skills such as .NET and systems management.
Whatever the sector, most notable is the demand for highly skilled workers said a representative from Kelly Services Canada. The employment solutions company has been overwhelmed with requests for employees with engineering, finance or science skills.
Finally, if all else fails, try McDonald’s, says the marketing coordinator for TorontoJobs.ca. The king of fast food reported a 5- to 11-per-cent increase in revenues in the last quarter while the rest of the hospitality industry is facing all-time lows.
“(It’s the result of) people not being able to afford to go out to a sit-down kind of meal,” said Rachel Burns. The result is a surge in postings for fast food and grocery store clerks, she said.
Source: metronews.ca