Work Life Balance Doesn’t Exist in Canada

A recent study by an Ontario college says over a third of Canadians spend 10 hours or more at work (though those hours also include the travel time to and from that work).

Everest College in Toronto claims Alberta has the most dedicated workers, with 44 percent of those surveyed saying they spend 10 or more hours per day on office related tasks. Manitoba and Saskatchewan tied at 39 percent, while Ontario and the Atlantic province came in at 38 percent. The west-coast is often mocked for it’s casual hippie-type lifestyles, but maybe that image is true, as only 28 percent of people surveyed from British Columbia said they spend 10-plus hours per day at the office.

Funny thing, when computers were just beginning to enter homes back in the 1980’s, futurists, technological gurus, and computer geeks everywhere were saying that those magic mechanical boxes of blinking lights and whirling noises were going to cut the amount of time spent at work. Some even boldly declared we’d have four-day work weeks by the dawn of the new millennium.

I should have known that was flawed, when 1999 rolled over into 2000, and although everyone was worried about the dangers of Y2K, the work week still was five long, laborious days.

Computers actually in more instances than not, INCREASED our amount of time at the office. They constantly fill our minds with emails, instant messages, and manage our overflowing voice-mails. Instead of walking over to our colleague’s desk to discuss that new report, we just send it through email – and in turn, that once 25-page report comes back to us through email, often hundreds of pages more, and requiring a read through.

Thanks to computers, we can work at home – many offices have secure networks you can link to, and our voice networks – run by computers – allow us to call into conference calls from anywhere around the world.

That also means we can be reached at anytime, anywhere by work. How many of you have taken your office-issued BlackBerry or other smart phone with you on vacation, only to find yourself reading and responding to work related emails?

And if your co-workers can email you even when you are on vacation, they can call you too. “Just email that contract to my BlackBerry, I’ll sign it right away.”

As the labour market continues to shift from an employee-based one, towards contract and temporary consultant-based, more people are burning the midnight oil at the office.

Companies generally don’t care if they burn out a contracted consultant, they don’t have to pay for your benefits, so if you get sick or develop psychological issues from being constantly under the gun, it’s no skin off their back. Need to take time off to deal with that overtime-related stress? Doesn’t bother your “employer” – contractors don’t generally get sick days, extended medical coverage, or other benefits, so it won’t cost your boss anything if you take it off. Worse still, consultants only get paid for the time they spend working, so anytime of is lost wages.

And as more and more full-time staff jobs are lost in the new economy, there are suddenly a whole lot more people willing to work those excessive inhumane hours, just to keep a roof overhead, and food in their tummies.

Statistics Canada’s employment numbers for this month weren’t very good – the Canadian government department which keeps tabs on these things says the economic recovery has slowed down, as thousands more full-time permanent jobs have disappeared, most likely forever.

This tosses fear into the working world, causing those with staff jobs to do whatever it takes – even if it means working more hours than are healthy – in the hopes that our employers will spare our jobs from the cutting block.

And so continues the cycle of constantly increasing working days, and shorter recovery times.

Time for a break . . . I think . . .

Related articles by Zemanta

• Growing Ranks of White-Collar Moonlighters (online.wsj.com)
• Steward: Inaction on immigration boondoggle (thestar.com)
• Americans Are Skipping Summer Vacations to a Focus on Job Search and Work, Says New Monster.com Poll (eon.businesswire.com)
• Unlimited Paid Vacation Time: The Ultimate Perk? (blogs.wsj.com)
• Vacation Deprivation Continues Despite Economic Rebound, Expedia.ca Survey Finds (newswire.ca)

Beware of End of Year Job Numbers

Today, Canada’s federal government released the latest unemployment rates for the country – painting a rosy picture if you believe ‘em.

According to Statistics Canada, the country’s unemployment rate dropped last month by a tenth of a point since October. Canada’s official unemployment rate now stands at 8.5 percent.

The government claims this is because the number of full-time jobs increased by 39,000 in November, which is the third straight m

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

onth of an increase. Part-time jobs also increased by 40,000 – previously they had decreased in the past two months of October and September.

That means we saw 79,000 new jobs created in Canada – if you believe all the media hype. For most of us, the worst global disaster since The Great Depression of the Dirty Thirties is still rampaging its wrath. I personally know many families which continue to struggle to put food on the table, despite the constant headlines hollering that the economy is improving.

Chances are if you aren’t one of the millions looking for work, you know someone who is. So as you hear the network news anchors boast about our country’s new low unemployment rate, you may ask yourself: “so how come my friend is still out of work?”

Truth is the unemployment rate just doesn’t take into account the very basis for real value employment in this country – or any country for that matter.

The federal government’s statistics do not take into consideration the largest area of employment for the past twenty-years – self-employment.

Image by Tony the Misfit via Flickr

Over the past two decades, companies have been hiring fewer and fewer on staff, favoring the more cost effective approach of bring in people on contracts.

Also, as the economy shrank in the recessions of the 1990’s and today, many people were let go, at times when there were no jobs. Many simply gave up looking for work, and went into contracting as they were unable to find anything else.

Last month’s self-employment numbers fell sharply by 32,000 self-employment jobs according to Statistics Canada. These numbers are not considered in the unemployment rate calculations, the government thinks of them as more of a wild card which indicates the volatility of the job market.

Not only do the unemployment rates not consider one of the largest sectors of jobs in the country, they also fail to take into account the real money maker for most people – hours worked. The Canadian government only compares full and part-time positions – they don’t take into account the actual number of hours people work, and that’s what really affects most pay cheques.

The total hours worked actually declined last month by 0.3 percent according to Statistics Canada. This means although more people were being hired, they were working fewer hours, so in the end, were being paid less.

Image via Wikipedia

When people don’t make as much as they once did, they cut back on spending, and that means less money being distributed into the economy, which fuels economic downturns such as a recession or depression. Statistics already are indicating that most Canadians plan to spend 40 percent less on holiday gift purchases this year than last year – and last year at this time we were well into the worst economic decline since The Great Depression.

And to add some vinegar to a widening wound, most of the increases in employment were in the education and service sectors.

In the education sector, this increase could be due to budgets needing to be spent before year-end, otherwise the money is gone for good. Meaning next year at this time, we could see a sudden loss of jobs in this sector, as everything eventually balances out.

The December holiday shopping season always boosts employment in the service sector at this time of year, as those in this sector make most of their profits during this time. Many companies in the service sector hire part-time temporary workers to fill the holiday rush, only to be let go either at the end of the year or early in the New Year. So again, these numbers are not a good sign of more jobs and a better economy.

So, how will you know when the economy really is booming again? You’ll know from your own experiences, and the experiences of the people in your life, long before the Canadian government’s statistics confirm what you and your family and friends experience.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Job Losses Beat Estimates, 'U6' Falls to 17.2 (dailykos.com)
• Quick-Fixing Jobs Is a Snare and a Delusion (dailykos.com)
• China has now become the biggest risk to the world economy (telegraph.co.uk)
• New jobs created, but unemployment edges up (ctv.ca)
• Jobs will return -- in 2012 (money.cnn.com)

Canada’s Solution to Unemployment – Go to the Third-World

The problem: how to keep big multinational companies from shutting down, putting thousands of people out of work and creating a massive public relations disaster for the company and the government?

The Canadian government’s solution is truly mind boggling.

Import workers from poorer third-world countries on short-term visas. Once here, force them to work for multinational companies at substantially lower wages than any one local to Canada would be willing to work that job. Then deny them the fundamental benefits companies provide to their employees and deny them access to the government services immigrants and citizens enjoy -- all while forbidden them from bringing their family so that they can’t make any reas

Image via Wikipedia

onable demands for these benefits. When the gig is over, stuff them on a plane and send them back to their life of poverty and despair.

Sign me up – I want that job!

Apparently there is high demand for these low-paying, family stealing jobs. Recently, the Canadian government announced that there were 251,235 temporary short-term work visa holders last year.

Originally the temporary short-term work visa program was created because of a severe shortage of labor to work the Alberta Oil Sands. These jobs were anything but glamorous – it was dangerous as workers were constantly working with heavy machinery, surrounded by highly flammable, combustible, and toxic petro-chemicals. And the jobs were low paying, and very physically demanding.

Then the Canadian government expanded the program to temporary low-skilled workers, which provided contractual work to third-world citizens in the first world for a maximum of four-years. These jobs typically went to nannies and farm hands, but in recent years, strippers (sorry – exotic dancers for the politically correct), telemarketers, and other practical, highly respectable careers were funded through this government program.

As the definition of “low-skilled” worker is very loose, the Canadian government has been allowing mega large companies in the financial services, pharmaceutical, information technology, and other big business sectors to bring people in from the third-world that aren’t low in skill, but are cheaper than hiring a Canadian-born person to do the same job.

The Canadian government even admits it allows more of these temporary short-term workers into the country, than landed immigrants, although landed immigrants usually become Canadian citizens.

The Canadian government program designed to create jobs actually robs Canadians of good paying jobs.

That’s why if you one of the 43, 200 Canadians looking for work in October, you are probably still unemployed. The jobs are here, but not for us Canadians. You have to be a citizen of India, China, Mexico, the Philippians, or some other country where these big companies recruit.

And recruit they do. Often it starts out harmless enough -- a big company contracts out a handful of projects to a small company in one of these poorer countries. If they don’t mess up, within a year many of the company’s employees are offered four-year contracts based in Canada. They will be given what they consider a good wage – though it is substantially lower than what a Canadian would be paid to do the exact same job – as well as travel and start-up expenses. The only catch is they have to leave their friends and family behind.

But that doesn’t matter, their eyes gloss over, as they think they’ve hit the big time. Instead of living in a crammed one-room house with a mud roof, they get to live in a multi-room one-bedroom high-rise apartment made of bricks and mortar. The fact that their bathroom isn’t in the same room as the kitchen – or that they even have a kitchen – is a selling point in itself.

Although they may be away from their friends and family for up to four-years, they still feel the connection by sending money home. Often this helps them bring their family here – often illegally.

Image by Sweet One via Flickr

Reports of some of these short-term temporary workers paying over $25,000 to sneak their loved ones into the country abound. And despite that huge amount of money, there never are any guarantees. If the family gets caught sneaking into the country, they get sent back, but the sly person who arranged the whole thing keeps the money. There are no refunds.

But that doesn’t matter either, after four-years once the contract ends, these temporary short-term contractors go home.

Just imagine returning to the one-room shack with the mud roof, and sleeping on the ground with a dozen or so close relatives.

Guess that image isn’t too appealing, as many stay, illegally, and continue to work here under the table. They usually have to get lower paying jobs at less than scrupulous workplaces. But don’t worry, the mega large multinationals have already recruited more from the third-world to replace the ones leaving.

It’s a constant river of poor people being brought to Canada, to work at cut-rate wages for multinational corporations, only to end up as illegal immigrants, working under the table for abusive employers. But anything beats sleeping on the floor of that hut with the mud roof.

As for those 43, 200 unemployed Canadian citizens (as of October), maybe you could land a job in India, China, Mexico or the Philippians – I here there are some openings.

Related articles by Zemanta

• As Layoffs Persist, Good Jobs Go Unfilled (huffingtonpost.com)
• Liberals call for settlement with Mohamud (cbc.ca)
• Minister Goodyear announces new investments to help small- and medium-sized businesses in Southern Ontario (newswire.ca)

Government Contractors and Real Working Stiffs

Today, Canada’s largest provincial government got embroiled in a controversy which is unfortunately all too common – contracting out work.

Ironic, THE top election issue for the past several elections has always been jobs. Job creation, getting unemployed people working, getting under employed people work in their fields, job training, jobs, jobs, jobs – but not if you work for the Province of Ontario.

Jobs and getting people working in this economy has been the top electio

Image via Wikipedia

n issue at all three levels of government in Canada, and much of the world, for several years.

So why is it that to get a job in Ontario, you have to be willing to sacrifice all the perks of having a job, and work as an independent contractor?

Or so that would appear to be the case if you worked for the Ontario Ministry of Health over the past decade. According to a report released by the province’s Auditor General, the eHealth Program Branch (not the already controversy beleaguered eHealth Ontario) had 27 people on staff, and over 300 independent contractors on the books. Many of those independent contractors were in senior management roles, leaving one questioning, just how good were their decisions for the good of an organization which they had no real bond or ties too.

Obviously, they weren’t all that well thought out, as Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty took the rap today for having most of those contracts not going through the provincially regulated channels of open bidding. Instead they all went to friends, family and colleagues of those independent contractors, according to the province’s auditor.

There’s nothing wrong with being an independent contractor. Work is work, but it’s not a job, as a job comes with benefits, and some sort of sense of security in employment.

Aside from the facts coming out of the auditor’s report of the $1 billion of wasted tax payer dollars to fund these independent contractors (many of whom overcharged for their services), and aside from the fact that they got into managerial roles and only hired their buddies (which happens in all workplaces anyways), the real issue is the hypocrisy of the lack of job creation within government, by the very same government saying they are doing what they can to create more jobs.

More and more private companies these days are hiring contractors and independent consultants than putting people on their own payrolls. It saves them money – big time. Instead of having to provide benefits, and pay for employees sick and vacation time, all they do is pay an hourly wage for someone to work on a specific project. When the project is done, they may keep the contractor on, or say goodbye, without having to fork over a mint in severance pay.

Contractors can make a lot more than salaried staff employees. The wages are higher, because the contracts are for a limited time period, so the

Image via Wikipedia

re is an understanding between the “employer” and the contractor that this isn’t a regular, full-time permanent gig – it is just a temporary work arrangement.

It is the business equivalent of marriage versus a one night stand. Marriage is supposed to last forever, is a lot harder from an emotional and legal perspective to get out of, and creates a sense of belonging and security in the stability of the relationship. A one night stand on the other hand, anything goes, there are no strings attached, and there is little to no emotional or legal cost to get out of one, as there is no stability or sense of belonging as it is only a quick fix, to a basic human need for companionship or physical connection.

And that’s the big downside to contracting – no security nor sense of belonging. You can be let go in a second if the company you’re working for decides they just don’t need or want to fund the project you are assigned too. You don’t get paid for all those statutory holidays that everyone else gets. You don’t get paid for when you have to take a sick day. And vacation time? HA – you’re lucky if you’re entitled to even take time off, let alone getting paid for that time off.

You’re just a quick fix, a band aid for one company’s short-term problems. That band aid could last a few weeks, months, or years if you’re lucky. But eventually – and there’s always an eventually – the contract will end, and you will be out on your butt looking for your next gig.

That’s the life of an independent contractor. A consultant. A one night stand in the business world.

So Canada’s largest province has been creating one-night stand temporary quick fix types of work, instead of real, long lasting, stable and secure jobs within it’s own ranks, while claiming to be creating real jobs for real people – as they said during one of their promotional campaigns a while back.

In the short-term, and perhaps for the length of this government’s run in office, these contractual gigs happily keep the unemployment numbers low. In the long-term, when the contracts end, many of these independent contractors go out looking for their next gig, unemployment will again jump.

Especially once the province’s Auditor General’s report is implemented – new rules and restrictions will go into place to prevent the excessive consultant charges, and unfair hiring practices used by those consultants and their agencies, from ever taking place again.

Yes the whole contractual bidding process is a mess in Ontario, and the amount of overbilled consultant fees stinks. But the bigger issue, the one which really eats into our society is the fact that the very same governments aiming at creating jobs, don’t offer any themselves.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Statement by Sarah Kramer (newswire.ca)
• HST: a hot-button issue for the Conservatives? (cbc.ca)
• What You Need To Know About Entrepreneurial Burnout (smallbusinessbranding.com)
• Ont. hit hard as jobless rate reaches 11-year high (ctv.ca)
• Teen Unemployment Highest Since 1948 (shoppingblog.com)