According to a new survey, Canadian small businesses are keen to employ new staff in 2010.
Statistics from the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey have shown that 15% of businesses are planning to increase their staffing levels in the first three months of 2010.
The survey found that only 13% plan to make reductions, with an additional 2% still unsure. The vast majority, 70%, plan to maintain their current 2009 levels.
Business opinion is that they expect a “favourable hiring climate” over the course of the year, and they expect the country’s labour market to continue the same upward trajectory that saw 79,100 new jobs being created in November.
The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship has stated that the Government will maintain the immigration levels of previous years while increasing its effort to target skilled migrants such as plumbers, electricians, nurses and other occupations currently in high demand.
The new guide is titled ‘Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship’. The purpose of the guide is to educate citizenship test applicants as well as Canadian citizens themselves about the country’s views on human rights, free speech, equality, social cohesion and political participation.
The history of Canada also features prominently in this new version.
Marc Chalifoux, Executive Vice-President of the Historica-Dominion Institution, said “All citizens, whether they were born in Canada or not, need to understand how the institutions of this country came to be”.
The new guide has been subject to reviews by historians, Canadian authors and other public figures. The document is being promoted as a key educational tool, and it is hoped that it will be read by Canadian students as well as migrants.
Immigration Canada recommends that if an applicant’s citizenship test is scheduled up until February 2010, then they should read the older guide, ‘A Look at Canada’. The new guide should apply for all tests from March 2010.
The latest employment statistics indicate that the number of Canadian jobs increased by 79,100 last month, mostly in education, manufacturing and finance. This is the highest rise in over a year.
Closer analysis reveals that the unemployment rate for November was 8.5 per cent, down from 8.6 in October. Full time jobs increased by 38,600, and part time jobs grew by 40,400.
37,900 more jobs became available in education, and the manufacturing industry created 12,600 positions.
The public administration sector created 11,300 jobs and the insurance, finance and real estate sectors rose by 12,200.
The Canadian Government has further prioritised the immigration system by targeting high demand occupations such as electricians, plumbers and nurses via a high speed processing stream.
Other occupations are still eligible but they must have an offer of employment.
A survey by the HSBC put Canada as the top country in the world for quality of life and the best place to emigrate.
The research focused on 3,100 expats from 50 countries. All participants gave Canadian immigration the highest marks. Canada won for highest accommodation quality along with highest quality of life, followed by Australia. Thailand was seen as the country where it was easiest to make friends.
Currently, the Canadian Government has a Priority Occupation List and potential migrants with occupations on this list are eligible for skilled migration to Canada without the requirement of having a job offer from a Canadian employer.
HSBC’s David Norton said “We have seen that there is a distinct trade-off between income and overall quality of life”.
“Many of the top performers in our first report, which examined the best places to make and save money, have scored towards the bottom of this report’s league table. What is clear is that the locations where salaries may not be as high, such as Canada and Australia, are where expats are really enjoying not only an increased quality of life but are also finding it easy to fit in to their new communities.”
The survey polled 3,100 expats from 50 countries.
International students who wish to study in Canada will have to provide biometric fingerprints and photos to go alongside their applications. The plan is to be implemented by 2011.
Digital fingerprint scans are to be taken during the application period rather than at the entry stage. The new biometrics plan is unlikely to be fully enforced until 2013, but Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) believes that it will be an effective measure to reduce theft and increase Canadian security.
Foreigners applying for temporary resident visas and work permits will also have their fingerprints and photos taken.
According to CIC, concerns about a resulting drop in student enrolment are unfounded – reviews of similar programmes in other countries have found no negative impact on applications. France and the USA already require biometrics as part of their application process, with the UK following by 2011.
Acknowledging civil rights and privacy concerns, Canadian authorities maintain that “no central database of fingerprints will be created”, nor “unfettered access to personal information”.
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