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Omar Yaqub

ENTERPRISE TORONTO - 7 Reasons Why Employees Leave - a program operated by the City of ... - 0 views

  • The job or workplace was not what the employee expected
  • The mismatch between job and person
  • Too little coaching or feedback
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  • Too few advancement and growth opportunities
  • Feeling devalued and unrecognized
  • Stress from overwork and work-life imbalance
  • Loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders
Omar Yaqub

Results Oriented Workplace - 0 views

  • Results Only Work Environment (ROWE).
  • ROWE is a management strategy espoused by companies like Best Buy where employees are paid for results – and have complete control over their schedules. The idea is that employees do what they want, when they want. The company isn’t concerned with when or where the work gets done, as long as it gets done. Think of it as extreme weisure where all that matters is results.
Omar Yaqub

Labour already tight early in recovery: panel - 0 views

  • return of scarce labour and rising construction costs will be the downside of renewed economic growth in Alberta
  • Alberta's 5.7-per-cent unemployment rate in February was tied with Saskatchewan for second-lowest in the country behind Manitoba. Private-sector job growth in the province leads the nation at five per cent year-over-year.
  • But 62 per cent of business leaders also reported that finding workers was a problem, he said.
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  • In a January survey of city businesses by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, 65 per cent said economic conditions were better than a year ago, said Rick Hersack, the chamber's chief economist.
  • "Businesses are telling us that we're back up into a growth mode and we're concerned it might be going into another boom -the concern mainly being the strain on labour availability," Hersack said
  • In the goods-producing sector, a higher proportion -80 per cent -called labour supply a problem, while 56 per cent expected a shortage in one to three years.
  • In the service sector, 54 per cent said labour availability was a problem and 44 per cent anticipated a shortage
  • "With the ramp-up in the energy sector, that affects essentially all of Alberta," Hersack said. "We also asked our members about their hiring intentions and they'll well exceed the availability of labour force.
  • Kavcic said labour shortages will push wages up.
  • as wages rose, migration of labour from East to West would also rise.
  • "Three areas that clients and business owners remain cautious on are labour force, what's going to happen with commodity prices and the weather," Hogg said.
  • "Businesses all remember what happened in Alberta in 2005 with the difficulty and expense of hiring employees."
  • A report released by the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada Tuesday also warned a labour force of about 130,000 workers will be needed to fill new jobs in the oilpatch and keep pace with retirements.
Omar Yaqub

A golden opportunity for dowdy downtown - 0 views

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    With another energy boom looming and worker shortages forecast by 2012, companies are already duking it out to attract top employees. And that means offering more attractive work environments.
Omar Yaqub

Renewable Energy World, Free Renewable Energy World Digital Subscription Subscription - 0 views

  • Renewable Energy World effectively promotes all aspects of renewable energy technology in the worldwide marketplace. Renewable Energy World provides authoritative articles, case studies and essential news on global developments in the renewables sector. Every issue includes features on wind power, solar thermal, photovoltaics and biomass. Regular coverage is also devoted to geothermal, energy storage, small hydro, and hybrid systems.
Omar Yaqub

Labour Shortage - Alberta Primetime Stories - 0 views

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    The news for Alberta's economy just keeps getting better. But, with the return of growth, also comes a problem many Albertans are all too familiar with. A survey in our Province suggests the majority of businesses say they are already having a hard time finding workers
Omar Yaqub

University and not-for-profit team up to explore local business - West Edmonton Local - 0 views

  • $100 spent locally on food has three to five times the economic impact than supporting an alternative where the money more than likely leaves the province, or the country.
Omar Yaqub

http://www.urbanfutures.com/Q4%202010%20Migration.htm - 0 views

  • For  those  of  us  that  follow  the  ebbs  and  flows  of  migration  data,  the  most  recent release from Statistics Canada’s Quarterly Demographic Estimates caught us off guard. While  most  media  did  not  report  on  the  release,  headlines  could  have  run  the  gamut, from “Canada  experiences  its  second  largest  quarter‐over‐quarter  decline  in  net international  migration”  to  “British  Columbia’s  net  international  migration  is  negative for the first time ever”
  • In  British  Columbia  the  rather  significant  divergence  from  recent  trends  was  the consequence of the departure of large numbers of temporary workers and/or students from  the  province,  presumably  returning  home.
  • Alberta  saw  the  number  of  non‐permanent  residents  decline  by  6,725, Saskatchewan by 414, Manitoba by 406, Ontario by 12,603, and Quebec by 5,900. The most  notable  changes  were,  however,  in  the  west.  In  only  two  provinces  (BC  and Alberta)  was  immigration  not  significant  enough  to  balance  the  outflow  of  non‐ permanent  residents,  thus  resulting  in  declines  in  total  net  international  migration  of 727 in BC and 2,092 in Alberta
Omar Yaqub

Diversity Study: Edmonton Chamber of Commerce - 0 views

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    Analysis of Findings: Diversity Study 
Omar Yaqub

Dream big, Albertans urged | www2.canada.com | Readability - 0 views

  • A report issued Thursday by the Premier's Council for Economic Strategy should be required reading for all Albertans.
  • Among its five "big ideas," it urges the creation of a new Global Centre for Energy and an Alberta Institute for Advanced Technology to thrust the province into the forefront of global energy innovation.
  • the creation of a new Alberta Water Authority to protect the province's precious water assets;
Omar Yaqub

http://premier.alberta.ca/PlansInitiatives/economic/RPCES_ShapingABFuture_Report_web2.pdf - 0 views

    • Omar Yaqub
       
      work with the federal government to change the immigration system - to help address critical shortages of workers at all skill levelsIt is in the interests of all Canadians that the Alberta economy remains strong. To realize the full potential of the oil sands and broaden the economic base, the province will need people from outside the country as well as migrants from other parts of Canada. The provincial government and industry must collaborate in demonstrating to the federal government the critical need to at least double the caps on the provincial immigrant nominee program. Advocate for immediate changes that allow temporary foreign workers with solid records to apply for permanent resident status while they are still in the country. Continue to work with the federal government to institute longer-term changes to better align the national immigration program with strategies for economic growth, making it more responsive to changing economic conditions and industry's workforce needs.Determine what is getting in the way of swift assessment of foreign trades and professional credentials related to these scarce skills, and remove barriers to full recognition of qualifications that meet Alberta standards. Pre-certify credentials from selected offshore institutions, and create a mechanism that allows all immigrants to determine their credential status before moving here. Expand initiatives such as the Immigrant Access Fund to help immigrants achieve credential recognition.
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    Give a new alberta water authority the mandate to innovate in water stewardship, and realize the full benefit of our precious water assets Alberta needs all its citizens to develop the mindset and skills to thrive in today's world and drive economic growth - to be resilient, lifelong learners, healthy and productive, eager to achieve and perform, globally connected and informed seeking talent around the globe Like other countries with aging populations, Alberta in 2040 will be competing to attract the brightest and the best talent to the province's workforce to fill critical gaps. As early as 2030, demographers predict that domestic workforce growth in Alberta and Canada will have stalled, although higher birth rates in our Aboriginal population could indicate potential for some domestic population growth. Encouraging seniors who wish to stay in the workforce longer to do so could mitigate (but not solve) the problem. Employers could abolish their mandatory retirement age and other policies that discriminate on the basis of age.Employers in this province are already concerned about shortages of people to fill jobs at all skill levels, well aware that energy booms create huge demands for workers in service sectors as well as in construction and labour-intensive oil sands production. The very specialized skills and knowledge essential to success in broadening the economic base are in short supply in the province now because there have not historically been good opportunities in these areas. One key requirement is more people experienced in founding and growing technologybased businesses. While productivity improvements and the application of innovative business models may slow growth in the labour supply gap or change the mix of skills required over the  next three decades, we still expect to see an increasing  need to attract immigrants to the province to fill key gaps  at all skill levels.The number of immigrants to Alberta fr
Omar Yaqub

Why don't more people live in liveable cities? - 0 views

  • I spoke to Joel Kotkin, a professor of urban development, and asked him about these surveys. "I've been to Copenhagen," (Monocle's Number 2) he tells me "and it's cute. But frankly, on the second day, I was wondering what to do." So, if the results aren't to his liking, what does he suggest? "We need to ask, what makes a city great? If your idea of a great city is restful, orderly, clean, then that's fine. You can go live in a gated community. These kinds of cities are what is called 'productive resorts'. Descartes, writing about 17th-century Amsterdam, said that a great city should be 'an inventory of the possible'. I like that description."
  • "These lists are journalistic catnip. Fun to read and look at the pictures but I find the liveable cities lists intellectually on a par with People magazine's 'sexiest people' lists."
  • "We also have to acknowledge that these cities that come top of the polls also don't have any poor people," he adds. And that, it seems to me, touches on the big issue. Richard G Wilkinson and Kate Pickett's hugely influential book The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better (2009) seems to present an obvious truth -- that places where the differential in income between the wealthiest and the poorest is smallest tend to engender a sense of satisfaction and well-being. But while it may be socially desirable, that kind of comfort doesn't necessarily make for vibrancy or dynamism. If everybody is where they want to be, no one is going anywhere.
Omar Yaqub

Record numbers of immigrants to Canada in 2008 - 0 views

  • 2008 Canadian immigration Statistics are as follows: 247,202 permanent residents; 70,000 more than in 1998. The Canadian Government had a target of 240,000 to 265,000 new permanent residents for the year. 193,061 temporary foreign workers. 79,459 foreign students Total permanent and temporary residents for the year: 519,722
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    247,202 permanent residents; 70,000 more than in 1998. The Canadian Government had a target of 240,000 to 265,000 new permanent residents for the year. 193,061 temporary foreign workers. 79,459 foreign students
Omar Yaqub

NAIT hammered by would-be apprentices@ 200% capacity - Connect2Edmonton - 0 views

  • Funding shortages are forcing NAIT to shelve a massive expansion project which administrators say is badly needed to address Alberta's shortage of skilled workers.
  • She said there are more than 62,000 apprentices in Alberta, with 100 new ones registering every day, yet the province has training spots for only half that number
  • Andrews said NAIT hopes to eventually increase annual enrolment to 105,000, up from the 72,000 students currently in full-time, part-time and continuing education programs.
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  • NAIT is already struggling to meet skyrocketing demand, Kuntz said.
  • operating at more than 200-per-cent capacity, NAIT can accept only 15,800 apprentices each year, she said.
Omar Yaqub

http://employment.alberta.ca/documents/LMI/LMI-WSI_empwages_postsecondary.pdf - 0 views

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    Between 2009 and 2013, Alberta's economy is expected to add approximately 149,000 new jobs. In addition, approximately 57% of all new jobs are expected to require some form of learning beyond a high school education
Omar Yaqub

Immigration: The low-hanging fruit across the border | The Economist - 0 views

  • At a time when America is concerned about excess housing supply and anxious to boost its innovative capacity it is madness that so many willing immigrants, including high-skilled workers, including those educated in America, find it difficult to impossible to gain permission to work in the country on a stable, long-term basis.
  • The lump of labour fallacy is seductive, and in times of economic hardship it becomes very difficult to convince people that more competition for scarce jobs will make their lives better. Here again it is clear that weak labour markets are the enemy of liberalism, and those concerned for the future of free markets should do what they can to alleviate that weakness.
  • immigrants are people and they deserve a chance to move to maximise the return to their skills. When an immigrant moves to a rich country, that increases his or her welfare and boosts the productive potential of that country, which is good for everyone.
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  • Historically, relatively open immigration rules have been both a sign of and a source of national strength. If America can return to a more open past, the prospects for its economy will be considerably enhanced.
Omar Yaqub

Advanced Education and Technology - Campus Alberta Planning Framework - 0 views

  • How many international students attend post-secondary education in Alberta? International students make up about 5% of enrolment at Alberta’s publicly funded post-secondary institutions – about 11,800 students in 2008-09. International students also make up a significant proportion of the graduate student population.  In 2008-09, almost 19% of Master’s Degree and almost 30% of PhD students were international students
Omar Yaqub

Multicultural meritocracy - 0 views

  • Yezdi Pavri, vice-chairman of professional services firm Deloitte in Canada. "There is a competitive business advantage to having a diverse workforce and drawing from the widest talent pool possible. At Deloitte we have created an inclusive meritocracy. We have proven just as other organizations have that diversity leads to innovation. When you capitalize on the different experiences people bring you come up with better solutions. Now, many of our clients push us to have diverse teams. The worst thing you can do these days is go to a client with a team of five white men because that does not represent what the market or what our clients look like.
  • Here then are some strategies small businesses can use to attract and retain skilled immigrant workers:
  • "Make it known that as a small employer you are interested in hiring skilled immigrants,"
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  • ALLIES [Assisting Local Leaders with Immigrant Employment Strategies] is an umbrella organization that reaches across the country. It's a good place to start
  • Conduct interviews in the applicant's first language. "From a recruiting perspective, we are out looking for people with the right skills and often we will find individuals who have tremendous technical capabilities but English may be a struggle and so they have trouble representing themselves in an interview situation,"
  • "If we bring someone on board, we go through an extensive orientation process and part of that includes offering them the opportunity to take English language courses or other types of assimilation courses. We also fund continuing learning across our teams. That is a value for us and it helps us retain our talent." Thales Canada's Toronto location has a 95% reten-tion rate among new immigrants.
  • Create a buddy system. "We partner every new employee with a buddy who is not their coach or manager and who helps them navigate Deloitte,"
  • "What is the right way to dress? What are the right cultural protocols? People coming from other parts of the world don't have the common protocols we take for granted. This buddy system has been tremendously effective. A couple of years after a skilled immigrant has joined us and assimilated into the culture, they are often the most keen to act as buddies to new people coming in.
  • Start small. "We piloted our strategy, nurturing our leaders and instituted cultural awareness training,"
  • "Organizations like TRIEC can help you with cultural training, often at no cost. This will help you identify cultural differences and then figure out ways to address them tactfully."
Omar Yaqub

How Do We Prepare Kids for Jobs We Can't Imagine Yet? Teach Imagination - Education - GOOD - 0 views

  • When you were a kid, could you, your teachers, or your parents imagine your current job? Plenty of us go to work every day in careers that didn't exist when we were in grade school. How can schools set the next generation up for success when we don't have a clear picture of what the jobs of the future will be? The growing consensus is that we need to shift schools toward to fostering creativity and conceptual thinking abilities, and a new project called Imagination: Creating the Future of Education and Work wants to help educators figure out how to do it. 
Omar Yaqub

Where Are the Next Cities?| young knowledge workers, Next Generation Consulting, NGC | ... - 0 views

  • What is a Next City™? Next Cities™ are places with the assets and amenities that attract and retain a young, educated work force. They have bustling city centers, walkable neighborhoods, diverse career opportunities, and vibrant art and music scenes. In 2008, NGC surveyed young professionals in eight cities. These interviews and focus groups with members of the next generation revealed that they choose where to live based on the following seven indexes, listed in order of importance:1. Cost of Lifestyle: Young professionals are just getting started in their careers, and affordability is key. This index includes variables in the national cost of living index, which encompasses a roof over head, food on the table, clothes on the back, and a warm bed at night. 2. Earning: High school guidance counselors tell students that they’ll have between nine and eleven careers in their lifetime. The earning index measures the diversity of employment opportunities, the percentage of jobs in the knowledge-based sector, and average household income.
  • 3. Vitality: How “healthy” is a city? This index measures air and water quality, green space, and a city’s overall health (e.g., obesity, life expectancy, etc.). 4. After Hours: There’s more to life than work. This index counts the places to go and things to do after work and on weekends. 5. Learning: Is the city committed to high quality education for all of its citizens? This index includes measurements related to educational opportunities and expenditures, educational attainment, and accessibility of Wi-Fi hotspots. 6. Around Town: How easy is it to get to where you want to go in a city? This index measures a city’s walkability, airport activity, commute times, and mass transit opportunities. 7. Social Capital: Great talent comes in every race, creed, and color. This index accounts for how open, safe, and accessible your city is to all people. It includes measures of diversity, crime rates, and civic engagement (e.g., voter participation, volunteerism). Jane Jacobs actually coined the phrase “social capital” in The Death and Life of Great American Cities.
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