Hot Jobs in Canada for 2012

We Are Headed For Growth Despite Some Headwinds From Abroad

By Mark Swartz

Monster Senior Contributing Writer

 

What will the economy bring for Canada in 2012? Positive news overall, as energy prices and demand for our exports remain reasonably high.

 

Did you know, for example, that Canada is the largest single exporter of oil to the United States? Or that over 20% of the world’s entire supply of potash – a chemical used in various fertilizers – is produced right here?

 

While our natural resources are abundant, so are Canada’s manufacturing facilities, services sectors, and other job-generating areas across the country. Our banks are sound and our workforce is engaged. That’s what has made us so resilient despite headwinds from other parts of the globe.

 

Overall Growth Prospects For 2012

 

According to the Conference Board of Canada’s “Economic Insights” report from Autumn 2011, nearly 370,000 additional jobs are forecast to be added here for 2012. This amounts to a 2.1% increase over the previous year’s total. Not bad at a time when Europe and the U.S. are experiencing challenges of their own.

 

Where will all these new Canadian jobs come from? They’ll be created across a variety of sectors in provinces from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia. We take a look below at some highlights of the places where job growth in Canada is expected to be strongest.

 

The Atlantic Provinces

 

Newfoundland and Labrador is having an unprecedented energy and resources boom. With about $43-billion worth of projects in process, a shortage of skilled workers is foreseen.

• View construction and mining related jobs in Newfoundland and Labrador

 

Over in Nova Scotia, one of the Halifax area’s largest employers won the contract to build $25-billion worth of combat ships for the federal government over the next 30 years. Initial production could start by late 2012.  

• View marine-related and manufacturing jobs in Halifax

 

Quebec

 

In the province of Quebec, Montreal is poised for jobs growth in aerospace - at such companies as Bombardier and Pratt and Whitney – as well as in video gaming.

• View aerospace engineer and technician jobs in Montreal
• View video gaming jobs in Montreal

 

For Quebec City, in 2012, Non-Commercial services is forecast to grow as a category by more than 5,500 jobs. This is a bright note for teachers, other educators, healthcare workers and those in social services.

• View healthcare jobs in Québec City
• View teacher, education and instructor jobs in Québec City

 

Ontario

 

Hamilton, Ontario is seeing a modest rebound in housing construction. As a result, Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate are poised to add additional jobs. Also this Canadian center for steel production will create more manufacturing positions.

View finance, insurance and real estate jobs in Hamilton

View manufacturing jobs in Hamilton

 

Ottawa, Ontario – the capital of Canada – is normally known for its large number of government jobs. However in 2012 it is Construction that will expand. So will Non-Commercial services.

• View construction trades, helpers and labourer jobs in Ottawa
• View education, healthcare and social worker jobs in Ottawa

 

Toronto, Ontario should see a solid rise in banking and finance jobs, given that the city is an international finance hub. The Personal Services sector will show healthy growth as well.

• View accounting, banking and finance and related jobs in Toronto
• View personal services jobs in Toronto

 

Western Canada

 

In the province of Manitoba, it is projected that Winnipeg will produce more jobs in two particular Service sectors. One is Transportation. The other is Business Services.

• View business services jobs in Winnipeg
• View transportation jobs in Winnipeg

 

Saskatchewan is primed for expansion due to an explosion in demand for natural resources such as potash, oil, and gas. You can see this in Saskatoon, where the Goods sector – which includes Manufacturing, Natural Resources, Utilities And Construction – is expected to produce 9.3% more jobs.

View construction trades, helpers and labourer jobs in Saskatoon

View transportation jobs in Saskatoon

 

Meanwhile in Regina, Saskatchewan, Construction is on the verge of creating 1,100 new jobs. Better yet is Wholesale and Retail Trade, which will be up 1,800 jobs.  

• View construction trades, helpers and labourer jobs in Regina
• View wholesale and retail trade jobs in Regina

 

Alberta is also benefiting from worldwide demand for oil and gas. This is evident in Calgary, a diversified city, where jobs in petrochemicals and resources will be plentiful. As employers in this field expand, they need additional IT people as well.

• View geologist, geochemist and geophysicist jobs in Calgary
• ViewIT (computer) specialist jobs in Calgary

 

The Edmonton, Alberta region too will experience jobs growth along with Alberta’s primary resource sector. Accordingly the city should see a boost in positions for Transportation and Warehousing. Another growth area there will be Finance, Insurance and Real Estate.

• View finance, insurance and real estate jobs in Edmonton
• View warehousing jobs in Edmonton

 

British Columbia will be home to some impressive jobs growth in 2012. Victoria is the province’s capital city. There we will see above average increases in Non-Commercial services, as well as in Wholesale and Retail Trade.

• View education, healthcare and social worker jobs in Victoria
• View wholesale and retail trade jobs in Victoria

 

Scenic Vancouver, British Columbia, with its proximity to the Pacific Rim, has some bright spots for employment growth for 2012. One of its local employers, Seaspan Marine Corp., will begin an $8-billion deal to build non-combat ships for Canada’s navy and coast guard. Film and movie production is a year-round job producer as well.

• View marine-related and manufacturing jobs in Vancouver
• View film and movie production jobs in Vancouver

 

Potential Drags On Growth

 

Decreased demand for our natural resources is a possibility if countries such as China and the U.S. experience an economic slowdown. There may also be a tightening of the fiscal belt by our government. Moreover the European financial situation could negatively impact Canada’s economy.

 

For More Information

 

Details about employment statistics are available at Statistics Canada.

The Canadian undocumented?

By Father Tom Joyce CMF

ShareThis

Add Comment

January is the month of the refugee. The UN High Commission for Refugees estimates that in 2010 more than 30 million people sought asylum in other countries--264,000 in the United States and 165,000 in Canada--because of war or persecution. But that, doesn’t mean that they were welcomed to stay. After processing, some are denied and asked to leave.
Canada once had a reputation for being most accommodating. Not so anymore. The Conservative government has tightened its process of granting asylum and has reduced the number it accepts. This seems already to have created a new set of “illegals” or unauthorized immigrants according to the Los Angeles Times.
The phenomenon became more publically known couple of weeks ago, when the Los Angeles area experienced a series of arsons--mostly of parked autos. Harry Burkhardt, the suspect, was soon apprehended. He and his mother, Dorothee, were here on visitors’ visas and holding German passports. But they also entered the U.S. from Vancouver, after having been denied asylum.
Canada has revised its asylum process--ostensibly to quicken the pace of acceptance, but really to save money and to cut the number of asylums granted during hard economic times. Now asylum-seekers are to get a hearing in 90 days and, if rejected, are to be ushered back to their home country within 120 days. This is not enough time, immigrant advocates say, to gather the documentation to make the petitioner's claim of persecution-- before or after the hearing. Canada has 42,000 pending cases and 124,000 ready for deportation. The fear is that those rejected will travel as visitors on still valid passports, like the Burkardts. While the U.S. and Canada have an agreement to prevent asylum-jumping, as in case of the Burkhardts, once they're legally in the country, they have the right to present themselves to an asylum officer. If rejected, they won’t necessarily go home, but might just melt into the shadows among the other undocumented.
Many of those seeking asylum in Canada last year came from surprising places. The largest number is from Hungary. Now a member of the European Union, which insists on strong human rights policies, the former Communist country seems to be slipping back into one-party rule. The EU has charged Prime Minster Viktor Orban of extending his party’s control over the central bank, the judiciary, and the media. Critics speak oftransforming the county into a “Putin democracy” or a “Viktorarcy.”
It’s a shame that the plight of refugees should complicate the U.S.’s immigration problems further, or that Canada should temper its generous welcome to refugee. The number of refugees continues to be high. The UN High Commission estimates that every minute eight people flee their homes because of conflict or persecution. So there are millions more refugees than those that come to seek asylum. (Note that the Gospel of Matthew has the Holy Family seeking asylum in Egypt.)

Immigration trends — by the numbers

By SALIM MANSUR, QMI AGENCY

The headline on my column last week read, “Immigration isn’t just about numbers.”

But numbers indeed tell the story of how the trend line for immigrants arriving in Canada over the past 25 years slopes upward. In 2010, some 280,681 immigrants — or new arrivals as permanent residents, in the language of the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Canada — entered the country. The figure for 1986 was 99,354.

The total number of immigrants arriving in this period (1986-2010) was more than 5.5 million, or an average of some 220,000 annually. During these years the total population grew from about 26 million in 1986 to 34 million in 2010.

To put the above numbers in perspective — all figures provided here come from government sources — Canada accepted some 4.4 million immigrants in the three decades between 1951 and 1981 at an average of about 146,000 annually. In 1951, Canada’s population was slightly above 14 million, and in 1981 the figure was close to 25 million.

The number for immigrants in 2010 was the highest for a single year during the past 60 years.

We might note in the period of 1986-2010 the spike in numbers occurred under the previous Conservative government of prime minister Brian Mulroney. In order to assure new Canadians or ethnic minorities that the Conservatives favoured increased immigration, the Mulroney government spiked the numbers upward, from less than 100,000 in 1986 to a record high of 256,641 in 1993.

 This jump in immigration levels, while disregarding an economic downturn during the same period, was a transparent effort by the Mulroney Conservatives to woo ethnic votes. The irony is the effort failed as the Conservatives crashed to their worst electoral defeat in the 1993 election.

Immigration has contributed to population growth since Confederation. But during the past half-century, a dramatic shift took place in terms of the source-area composition of immigrants to Canada.

Until 1961 the origin of more than 90% of immigrants was from Europe, and non-European immigrants, primarily from Asia, barely registered at 3%. In the decades following the centennial year, these figures were significantly altered.

In the period of 1991-2001, immigrants of European origin entering Canada fell below 20%, and Asian immigrants soared to nearly 60% of the new arrivals. During the same period, immigrants from Africa accounted for nearly 8% of the total, while around 11% were those arriving from the Caribbean basin, Central and South America.

It is in this shift of source-area composition of immigrants that the demographic profile of Canada’s population as predominantly of European-origin has begun to change.

In 2010, for instance, the top three source countries for immigrants — their respective numbers are given in brackets — were Philippines (36,578), India (30,252) and China (30,197). Together these three countries provided nearly 35% of new arrivals in Canada.

The other noteworthy figure for 2010 is the total number of immigrants originating from Muslim majority countries, which amounted to 65,684 or approaching 25% of the new arrivals.

The cumulative effect of these numbers over time will be significant, and this is why immigration is the big issue politicians of all stripes want to avoid publicly discussing.

Diaspora bonds could help developing countries

BY MARC AND CRAIG KIELBURGER, TIMES COLONIST JANUARY 22, 2012

 

 

In 1988, Naser Kaid left his home in Jimma, Ethiopia, to seek opportunity in Canada. His widowed mother stayed behind. Today, Kaid is her only lifeline.

What Kaid can afford from his wages as a Toronto taxi driver, he sends home to his mother. It's usually $50 to $100 each month and the only income she has. In November 2011, she needed surgery. Kaid scraped together the money to cover the operation. He considers it his responsibility.

"Life is hard here," Kaid says. "But at the same time, you have to remember those elsewhere."

In 2010, immigrants to Canada sent more than $12 billion to support the families they left behind. That's $4 billion more than all the money Canadians gave to charity, and over $6 billion more than Canada spent on international aid that same year.

When the world population passed seven billion in October 2011, the UN Population Fund dedicated an entire chapter of its State of the World Population report to issues around migration. It noted the absolutely staggering amount of money immigrants around the world send back home.

The World Bank estimates that, by 2013, more than $404 billion will be travelling around the world every year from immigrants back to their families. That's almost three times more than all the developed countries in the world put together spent on international aid in 2010.

The Hudson Institute, an American think tank, reports that these remittances play a key role in fighting poverty in developing nations. Those who receive money from family abroad tend to have a better quality of life and are better able to survive shocks like natural disasters.

With tough economic times forcing many donor countries to scale back on international aid, is there a way to turn the hundreds of billions flowing from immigrant communities into an even more effective tool against poverty? Yes, through diaspora bonds.

Canadians should be familiar with Canada Savings Bonds. You buy them from the Government of Canada in amounts as little as $100. When you redeem them months or years later, you get your money back with interest. It's a great way to save money, and it creates revenue our government can use to provide the services we rely on, like health care.

Diaspora bonds work the same way, except they are sold by countries like Ethiopia to their immigrant communities living abroad.

Diaspora bonds are not new. Israel was the first to issue them in 1951. Some African countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, and Nigeria have recently begun to issue bonds. Greek immigrants in Canada and other countries are now looking to diaspora bonds as a way to save their homeland from its massive debt crisis.

The World Bank offers one example of how diaspora bonds could be employed to aid development. There are more than 1.5 million Haitian immigrants living in Canada, the U.S. and France. If 200,000 of them each bought $1,000 in bonds, they would raise $200 million to support postearthquake reconstruction in Haiti.

It seems to us, Canada could support diaspora bonds as a cost-effective way to increase resources for fighting poverty. Here are few ideas that might be explored: Canada could act as an international guarantor for development-dedicated bonds. Our government could help promote these bonds to immigrant communities, or give tax credits to immigrants who purchase them.

There are risks in diaspora bonds. Because the money from bonds goes to governments in developing countries, there is potential for mismanagement or corruption. The Canadian Chapter of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad, for example, prefers that the European Central Bank or the International Monetary Fund control any funds from diaspora bonds. They believe the Government of Greece is in disarray and cannot responsibly manage the money.

Through partnerships, Canada could support bonds designated for specific approved projects. We can provide technical assistance to recipient countries, building their capacity to manage the bonds with accountability and transparency.

We see a creative opportunity with diaspora bonds to not only increase resources for development, but also empower our immigrant communities to help their families back home.

Naser Kaid thinks diaspora bonds are brilliant.

He's considering investing in the new bonds available from Ethiopia.

"It's one of the best ideas," he says. "Countries can use the money, it doesn't cost you much, and you get it back!"

© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

Read more:http://www.timescolonist.com/business/Diaspora+bonds+could+help+developing+countries/6034097/story.html#ixzz1kEGbPtIa

Chef Salary Canada

The table below details the hourly wages for Chefs. The Canadian national occupation classification code (NOC) for this employment is 6241. 

Job titles and exact duties vary in this occupation and examples of some job titles are: chef, chef de partie, head chef, sous-chef, assistant chef and pastry chef. 

The pay information below has been split into rough bands as follows:

• Low pay: The bottom 10 percent of workers earn this.
• High pay: The top 10 percent of workers earn this.
• Average pay: The average wage in this sector after removing the bottom 10 percent and the top 10 percent of workers. Average pay is then calculated on the remaining 80 percent of workers' wages.

According to the latest figures, the highest hourly average wages are earned in Vancouver / Lower Mainland Southwest, British Columbia at $17.47 per hour and the lowest average wages are earned in Fredericton, New Brunswick at $12.84 per hour. 

The largest sector of employment for chefs is accommodation and food services. The average weekly earnings for the accommodation and food services sector as a whole were $356.24 in February 2011, an increase of 3.1% on the previous year when average weekly earnings were $345.69. Assuming an average working week of 36 hours, hourly average earnings in this sector for February 2011 were $9.90. 

Average Hourly Wages for
Chefs in Canada

Location	Low Wage $ per hr	Average $ per hr	High Wage $ per hr	Year
Calgary / Banff / Jasper / Rocky Mountain House - Alberta	11.68	17.35	30.98	2011
Edmonton - Alberta	9.00	16.78	33.00	2011
Vancouver / Lower Mainland Southwest - British Columbia	10.75	17.47	25.11	2011
Winnipeg - Manitoba	10.50	16.28	25.37	2011
Fredericton - New Brunswick	9.00	12.84	18.96	2010
Halifax - Nova Scotia	12.00	17.00	36.00	2010
Toronto - Ontario	10.50	15.94	23.47	2010
Ottawa - Ontario	11.00	16.26	23.30	2010
London / Woodstock - Ontario	10.25	15.07	20.36	2010
Kitchener / Waterloo / Barrie / Guelph - Ontario	11.00	15.64	22.57	2010
Prince Edward Island	9.55	15.45	25.45	2011
Montreal - Quebec	11.00	15.25	23.00	2008
Saskatoon and Rural West - Saskatchewan	11.80	16.50	22.30	2010

Cooks Wanted in Canada

If you are interested in working as a Cook in Canada, you will be pleased to know that the job outlook for your occupation in Canada is extremely positive. You can use this overview of the Canadian employment prospects in your field to start planning your immigration and settlement in Canada.

Cooks are on the list of 29 eligible occupations under the Federal Skilled Worker program. A maximum of 500 applications will be accepted for processing in each of the 29 occupations, with an overall cap of 10,000 applications. 

• To view current number of applications received toward the cap, click here.

To find out if you qualify for a Canadian immigration (permanent resident) visa please fill out our ONLINE eligibility assessment.

NOC 6242 - Click here for a description of the occupation and duties for Cooks:

NOC 6242 - Click here for some other example job titles for Cooks:

Why your employment prospects in Canada are excellent:

• This is a large occupational group and there will be many job opportunities arising in the next few years.
• Prospects are especially good for fast-food outlets, which are the largest source of employment for Cooks in Canada.
• Many cooks are expected to show artistic ability in food displays and participate in competitions. Continuous learning will thus be essential to cooks as they hone these skills through attending specialty seminars and learning from peers and experts.
• According to the Canadian Federation of Chefs and Cooks, the best trained chefs and cooks are in very high demand.

Find out about the salary ranges for Cooks in different Canadian cities with our Canada Salary Calculator

Some areas in Canada where your occupation is in demand:

Vancouver Island and Victoria, British Columbia:

• Employment prospects are very good in this area.
• Individuals who are artistically creative are in very high demand.

Manitoba:

• Employment prospects for cooks are expected to be good in the period over the next five years.
• Employment is fairly evenly distributed across the province. Cooks are mainly employed in the Accommodation and Food Services sector and the Health Care and Social Assistance sector.

Saskatoon and Rural West, Saskatchewan:

• There is a high demand for professionally trained cooks and foreign specialty food cooks in this area.

Prince Edward Island:

• There is a shortage of trained cooks in Prince Edward Island.
• Shortages are particularly high in the tourist area of Cavendish during the summer months.
• The long range employment outlook for cooks in Prince Edward Island is expected to be good.
• Employment is seasonal for many cooks in Prince Edward Island. The number of cooks employed is much higher in the summer months.
• Previous experience in the food industry is preferred by employers. However, due to the severe shortages, some employers are willing to provide on-the-job training.
• For example, the demand for line cooks is so great that some employers have partnered with the Tourism Industry Association of PEI to develop a line cook training course. This is a 12-week program where students are guaranteed a job upon completion.

New Brunswick:

• The majority of cooks in New Brunswick work in the Accommodation and Food Service Industry.
• Prospects are particularly good in the following New Brunswick areas: Saint John-Sussex-St. Stephen, Moncton-Shediac-Sackville-Richibucto, and Campbellton-Bathurst-Caraquet-Miramichi.

Muskoka Region, Ontario:

• Local employment prospects are good for cooks, because this area is very touristic and there are plenty of resorts.
• Demand for this occupation is at its highest during the summer months in resort communities such as the Muskoka District, Wasaga Beach and the Bruce Peninsula.
• Resort communities such as the Town of Collingwood and The Town of the Blue Mountains would offer good employment opportunities in both the summer and winter months.

Niagara Area, Ontario:

• Employment opportunities for cooks in the Niagara Area are very good.
• Demand for this occupation remains high with an abundance of advertised vacancies. This is due in part to new establishments in this very touristic region.

Waterloo, Huron, Perth, Wellington, Dufferin, Ontario:

• Local employment prospects are expected to be good for cooks.
• Job vacancies in resort areas tend to fluctuate according to seasonal factors related to the local tourist industry.
• Demand for this occupation would be at its highest during the summer months such as in the resort communities along Lake Huron.

Source: http://www.canadavisa.com