Immigration Canada

Looking for a job in Canada? Try Saskatoon

Stonebridge, Saskatoon, Stonebridge subdivision Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Adzuna, a U.K.-based job-search engine, has recently expanded to help Canadians find work, too.

After "some serious number crunching" — Adzuna compared their data from 36 Canadian job websites with the latest Employment Insurance and unemployment statistics — the site determined the 45 best and worst places to find a job in Canada.

In top spot: Saskatoon, where there are just 4.4 job seekers per vacancy.

Other great places to find work include Nanaimo, Kamloops, Winnipeg and Regina.

"Nanaimo is a service centre for the mid-Island, a transportation hub, a draw for tourists and we have a growing technology sector developing here so, unlike other Canadian cities, our economy is not overly reliant on any one sector," says Sasha Angus, head of the Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation.

If you're looking for work in the St. Catharines-Niagara area, however, be prepared for some major competition: there are currently 99.9 jobseekers per job vacancy, in part due to factory closings and fewer tourists from south of the border.

Other tough places to find work include the Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo region (where Research in Motion has been cutting jobs), Cape Breton, Oshawa and Windsor.

These results are somewhat surprising. In Windsor, where the unemployment rate is at 9.2 per cent, there are 27 job seekers for every posting. But in Waterloo Region, where the unemployment rate is at a considerably lower 7.1 per cent, there are 73 job seekers for every posting, the Record reports.

These stats may be reflecting a mismatch between the skills job seekers have and the jobs that are currently available, argues Art Sinclair, Waterloo Region's Chamber of Commerce's vice-president.

"It is a problem across Canada that there are jobs available but there is not a match between the people looking for jobs and the jobs that are available," Sinclair tells the Record. "That trend may be more accentuated here in Waterloo Region."

"There are vacancies in information technology here, of course, but those jobs require a pretty specialized skill set," he says.

The nationwide survey also found that Montreal is a great place for students and recent graduates, as9 per cent of job postings are for graduate positions or summer internships.

Jobs in sales comprised the top hiring sector in Canada, with 8,567 jobs currently available at an average annual salary of $45,302, the report lists.

The greatest growth in the job market is being seen in the information/technology and renewable-energy sectors. Adzuna forecasts 84,000 job opportunities being created in this areas by the end of 2013.

Adzuna country manager James Maskell acknowledges that not every job is posted on job boards — it's almost impossible to measure word-of-mouth and social-media-posted vacancies — but believes Adzuna's database of 100,000 jobs is large enough to accurately outline job trends.

"We have good coverage and are confident that our numbers are correct," Maskell says.

Adzuna lists real-time vacancies for job-seekers, like a news aggregator for jobs.

"Our main pitch is that we collect as many jobs as we possibly can from the Internet," Maskell tells theCambridge Times. "We bring them together in one place and make them searchable, very much kind of like a Google, but just for jobs."

This "gives us an up-to-the-minute view of how the employment market is changing across the country," Andrew Hunter, the company’s co-founder, tells the Globe and Mail. “In times of economic uncertainty, job seekers should be looking to arm themselves with data to help them target their job search in parts of Canada where they have the best possible chance of finding work.”

The Globe and Mail's Tavia Grant writes that Adzuna's information about the Canadian job market fills a void in this country's employment statistics:

"Detailed public information about current job demand has been in short supply in Canada. Statistics Canada releases data on vacancy trends, but it is by province, while the Conference Board’s help-wanted index tracks change, but not by industry. It’s a vital piece of missing information about the labour market, as these data can help job seekers make more informed decisions on whether to move, stay put or, in some cases, change careers."

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/looking-job-canada-try-saskatoon-145001048.html

Americans moving to Canada in record numbers: report

Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, with Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Andy Radia | Canada Politics

In what seems to be a reversal of fortunes from the 1990s, more and more Americans are looking to Canada as the 'land of opportunity.'

According to a new report by CTV News, economic woes in the U.S. are driving a record number of Americans across the northern border as they seek better job opportunities and cheaper education in Canada.

In 2011, Ottawa approved 34,185 visas for U.S. residents — a figure that falls just short of the all-time record of 35,060 approved visas in 2010. By comparison, fewer than 20,000 Canadians moved to the U.S. over the past two years — the lowest number in nearly a decade.

It wasn't always this way.

When I was in university — back in the late 1990s — my economics professor asked how many of us intended to move to the United States. Almost all of us, fourth-year macroeconomics students, raised our hands.

It was the 'brain-drain' era: the American economy was strong and many of Canada's best and brightest were heading south to find work. Both the media and and politicians dubbed the exodus a crisis; studies were commissioned and papers were written.

But what a difference a decade makes.

"Since the 2008 economic crises, we have witnessed a steady stream of Americans applying for Canadian work visas," Canadian immigration attorney Michael Niren told Yahoo! Canada News in an email exchange on Thursday.

"The main reason for this is lack of employment in the U.S. and our strong Canadian dollar."

Niren says most Americans who come to Canada do so through the expedited "NAFTA visa" process which requires applicants to have a Canadian job offer in one of 63 recognized occupations. The U.S. has a similar temporary visa — the TN visa — for Canadians who want to work there.

For the time being, however, it appears Canada's brain drain has been plugged.

Canada tops list for immigrant businesses

BY CHRIS RIDDELL, FINANCIAL POST

Canada is the country of choice for many immigrants searching for a better life. It also happens to be a popular destination for would-be entrepreneurs.
The World Bank labelled Canada the best place in the G-7 to start a business, and thanks to an open immigration policy, a comparatively easy one to enter. Add a strong banking system, growing job market, and high standard of living, and it's no wonder it tops immigrant entrepreneurs' list.
For many, the government's Start-Up Visa launched in April is making Canada an even more appealing place.
The program, which awards permanent resident status to those who qualify, is a huge incentive. The 2,750 visas are intended to attract the best and brightest, which means applicants must meet a set of criteria to qualify, and even if a visa is awarded, it doesn't guarantee success for the business.
Naeem Noorani knows the difficulties: He came to Canada 15 years ago and, unable to find a job in advertising, he took a job in publishing. A round of layoffs in 2003 again left him looking for a job. Unable to find a well paying position, he decided to start a business.
In 2004, he launched Canadian Immigrant magazine to highlight the success stories of immigrant entrepreneurs. He grew it to a $250,000-a-year publication and then sold it to The Toronto Star in 2006.
Mr. Noorani is now a managing partner for Destination Canada Info Inc. and bestselling author of Arrival Survival Canada.
He was also part of a Start-Up Visa roundtable discussion with federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. Mr. Noorani learned how to address the many challenges of setting up a business as an immigrant through a YMCA self-employment program.
"We know we're going to have challenges accessing traditional banking because we're new to the country," he says.
"This program took me through the whole process of how to apply for a bank loan, how to go there, how to present yourself, how to create a business plan. It was very methodical, and I owe a lot to the YMCA.
"Immigrants say they want to come to Canada and start a business. I would say don't do it. Spend at least a year in Canada before you start a business because if you're going to replicate the business you did back home without seeing if there's a demand for it, you'll lose everything you brought," he advises.
David LeBlanc, managing director with Ferriera-Wells Immigration Consulting, agrees that taking time to do market research will only benefit your efforts in the long run.
"One of the smartest things you can do is to find a mentor in a Canadian business," Mr. LeBlanc advises. "Lots of industries have mentorships, and sometimes it's just a matter of getting a hold of someone and saying, 'I admire what you're doing in your business. Can I come in and talk to you?'
"Most often the people have a fair amount of business savvy, so it's just a matter of putting them in touch with honest business resources," Mr. LeBlanc says.
"They're going to need a good tax accountant. They're going to need a good banker. They usually will need a realtor, someone who can introduce them to commercial properties that are available for purchase. Sometimes if they're looking for a line of credit or don't have the skills to write a business plan, we'll put them in contact with someone who can assist in preparing a proper and cogent business plan."
One of the requirements for the Start-Up Visa is developing good English language skills. Matt Man, founder of Green Owl Mobile, was born in Hong Kong and lived in Canada for 20 years before launching his traffic app. But he still found that communicating effectively was one of the biggest hurdles to overcome.
"Try to do as much face to face as possible," Mr. Man says. "Face to face can always make up for some of what I lost due to my accent or the way I'm communicating."