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Erica Yeo

Canada's wage gap at record high: OECD - The Globe and Mail - 1 views

www.theglobeandmail.com/...article4099041

inequality canada challenges globeandmail skillsgap

shared by Erica Yeo on 23 Nov 12 - No Cached
  • gap between Canada’s rich and poor is growing
  • the income gap in Canada is well above the 34-country average, though still not as extreme as in the United States
  • Countries with greater income inequality tend to see shorter, less sustained periods of economic growth
  • ...21 more annotations...
  • Greater inequality raises economic, political and ethical challenges as it risks leaving a growing number of people behind in an ever-changing economy
  • the top federal marginal income tax rates tumbled – to 29 per cent in 2010 from 43 per cent in 1981
  • Canada’s growing gap: a widening disparity in labour earnings between high- and low-paid workers, and less redistribution.
  • Taxes and benefits reduce inequality less in Canada than in most OECD countries
  • Shifts in the labour market are a key reason why the gap is widening
  • Technological progress has been more beneficial to high-skilled workers, while the gap in men’s earnings in particular is growing ever wider
  • annual hours of low-wage workers in Canada have fallen to 1,100 hours from 1,300 hours, while those of higher-wage workers fell by less, to 2,100 from 2,200 hours
  • Rising self-employment
  • the self-employed typically earn less than other full-time workers
  • Taxation
  • Canada’s tax-benefit system was as effective as those of the Nordic countries in stabilizing equality, offsetting more than 70 per cent of the rise of market-income inequality
  • taxes and benefits now offset less than 40 per cent of the rise in inequality
  • inequality has been rising more rapidly in Canada than in the U.S.
  • social implications
  • income inequality with poor health outcomes
  • 11-year difference in life expectancy between men who live in its poorest neighbourhood and those its richest
  • Taxing the rich
  • closing loopholes
  • compliance with tax rules
  • education, skills training and job retraining programs
  • More and better jobs, enabling people to escape poverty and offering real career prospects, is the most important challenge
  • burmangabriel on 23 Nov 12
     
    1) What do you think are possible solutions for the rising inequality? 2) Since the rich are taking a higher percent of overall income and Canada is in debt, do you agree with lowering their taxes?
Erica Yeo

Canada's income gap widens, report says - Canada - CBC News - 0 views

www.cbc.ca/...p-canada-conference-board.html

inequality canada income gap report cbc news challenges

shared by Erica Yeo on 16 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • The income gap between rich and poor in Canada widened in the period from 1993 to 2009
  • The average income of the poorest Canadians rose from $12,400 in 1976 to $14,500 in 2009.
  • the gap between the real average income of the richest 20 per cent of Canadians and the poorest 20 per cent widened from $92,300 in 1976 to $117,500 in 2009.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • high inequality can diminish economic growth if it means that the country is not fully using the skills and capabilities of all its citizens or if it undermines social cohesion, leading to increased social tensions.
  • high inequality raises a moral question about fairness and social justice.
  • The average income in 1976 was $51,100. By 2009, it had increased by 17 per cent to $59,700, even after adjusting for inflation.
  • 32 per cent of the country's national income would need to be redistributed in order to have complete equality of income.
  • The study found inequality is rising worldwide, but that two countries most similar with Canada in terms of per capita income had narrower gaps. Austria's was 0.265 and Denmark's was 0.232.
Erica Yeo

Why the gap between rich and poor in Canada keeps growing - thestar.com - 0 views

www.thestar.com/...d-poor-in-canada-keeps-growing

inequality canada challenges wealthgap star

shared by Erica Yeo on 16 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • Information technology has eliminated some middle-skill jobs, such as filing and administration, while globalization has seen high-paid manufacturing jobs outsourced to lower-paid countries, Alexander said.
  • globalization has weakened the lowest earners’ bargaining power as their jobs are outsourced to cheaper countries,
  • The gap has likely widened since the recession in 2008 as more companies moved high-paid manufacturing jobs offshore to countries with lower wage rates, the economists also noted.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Cuts to government programs, such as unemployment insurance, combined with increases in post-secondary education costs are making it hard for the lowest income Canadians to compete in the knowledge economy,
  • The top 10 per cent of Canadians earned 10 times as much as the bottom 10 per cent in 2008, the OECD said. That’s up from a ratio of 8 to 1 in the early 1990s
  • Calling on governments to do more to close the gap, the OECD said the report dispels the theory that tax cuts will have a trickle down effect by promoting economic growth that benefits everyone
ShiyuandCristina SC

Rich-poor gap could spark financial crisis in Canada: Report | Money | Toronto Sun - 1 views

www.torontosun.com/...ancial-crisis-in-canada-report

income inequality gap canada shiyu luo

shared by ShiyuandCristina SC on 14 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • The gap between the rich and the poor in Canada is getting wider and could eventually lead to an economic collapse, according to a new report by a left-wing think-tank.
  • Income for middle-class Canadians has remained stagnate since the 1980s, while the income of the richest 1% has increased dramatically
  • When the rising savings of the rich are parked in the financial markets, but everyone else falls deeper into debt, a house of cards is created, producing the kind of economic instability that led to the 1929 financial sector crash and the market meltdown of 2008."
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • As a result, Canada's income inequality has reached a level not seen since the 1920s, says Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
  • ShiyuandCristina SC on 14 Jan 13
     
    The problems created by income inequality in Canada could possibly lead to a financial crisis. 
Erica Yeo

Divisions between haves and have-nots begin with having skills - or not - The Globe and... - 1 views

www.theglobeandmail.com/...article4906878

inequality divisions globeandmail challenges currentevents

shared by Erica Yeo on 22 Nov 12 - No Cached
  • Baby boomers are targeted because after struggling to get an education in skills that would land a job, and after decades of effort, they have accumulated some wealth.
  • To them, we symbolize intergenerational inequality.
  • Your future will be defined by how well you learn skills that match the needs of the job market. Those who gain useful skills will find higher paying, more rewarding jobs; those without that knowledge will face low-paying, unstable prospects.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • progressively widening inequality gap between members of your own generation.
  • large numbers of unfilled jobs co-existing with high levels of youth unemployment.
  • what if Canadian universities were the root cause of the skills gap, rather than the solution?
  • fail to report what portion of their graduates find work that requires a university education.
  • 40 per cent of Canadian university graduates aged 25 to 29 were employed in “low-skill” jobs,
  • Canadian graduates turning to jobs-focused colleges for further training.
  • reduces Canadian productivity and prosperity
  • they just keep spending public money to produce graduates with few job prospects,
  • And the class of 2013 may come to realize that the most damaging inequality is not that of financial disparity, but rather the inequality of hope.
  • Erica Yeo on 23 Nov 12
     
    Discussion Questions: 1. Why should a widening financial income gap be concerning to the economy? 2. What are the economic differences of the baby boomer's generation (1940's-1960's) and the current generation? Do you think these differences affected the education requirement of today's jobs?
lebiez piranaj

Ontario Income Inequality: Canada's Largest Province Facing Growing Poverty, Cuts To So... - 4 views

www.huffingtonpost.ca/...equality-report_n_1839075.html

growing poverty cuts inequality canada income

shared by lebiez piranaj on 17 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • "Ontario's budgets for the last 15 years have repeatedly prioritized tax cuts while casting concomitant cuts to social programs as necessities rather than choices,"
  • there is a growing income gap among Ontarians
  • the percentage of Ontarians living below the low income measure rising from 9.4 per cent in 1981
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • between 1981 and 2009, Ontario had the country's second highest increase in the poverty rate
  • It blames tax cuts coupled with reductions in social programs for many of the problems it outlines."Ontario's budgets for the last 15 years have repeatedly prioritized tax cuts while casting concomitant cuts to social programs as necessities rather than choices," the report states.
  • lebiez piranaj on 18 Jan 13
     
    There is a widening gap in terms of inequality in Canada and it goes on to say that its being blamed on tax cuts for such inequalities, the article goes on to state that the inequality may be the reason for the province to be facing this growing poverty. 
tyler wiliams

Income Inequality In Canada: Ed Broadbent Wants To Give Tories 'A Good Shake' - 1 views

www.huffingtonpost.ca/...da-ed-broadbent_n_1949906.html

income gap canadian challenges policies

shared by tyler wiliams on 18 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • tyler wiliams on 18 Jan 13
     
    most people don't realize that income inequality effects us all and not just the poor. Our market-driven ideology has lead to the increasing income gap and needs to be changed. The reductions of income tax. Not only reductions of income tax and the disproportionate benefits to upper-income [individuals] takes away the money that's needed for post-secondary education, for health care, for Canada pensions, worsening the income gap.
JJ Igra

'Dead' cash to blame for Ontario's stagnant growth, task force warns - 2 views

www.theglobeandmail.com/...article5779990

JJ King Stagnate Growth

shared by JJ Igra on 03 Dec 12 - No Cached
  • JJ Igra on 03 Dec 12
     
    "A new status quo of slow or stagnant economic growth for Ontario's economy is developing," warns the Task Force on Competitiveness, Productivity and Economic Progress. "If economic growth languishes at less than 2 per cent annually, everything from government funding and programs to private sector competitiveness and employment will be impacted." The issue of dead money surfaced this summer when Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney said Canadian companies are sitting on cash when they should be investing or returning it to shareholders - comments that sparked an avalanche of criticism from economists and executives. Canada's relative stability should make businesses more willing to invest. Instead, they are sitting on large cash reserves. Ontario's GDP per capita ranks 14th among 16 North American peer jurisdictions and lags the median of the peers by $7,500 Roger Martin, chairman of the task force and Rotman School of Management dean, in a release. "But the gap in GDP per capita with North American peers shows that Ontario needs to move now to push for more growth." Dead money could be used "to invest in the physical and human capital we need to increase our productivity and close the prosperity gap," he added. Key Concepts: GDP- gross domestic product Stagnate- Showing no activity; dull and sluggish: "a stagnant economy".
  • ...2 more comments...
  • JJ Igra on 03 Dec 12
     
    Questions: 1) What incentives can the government provide for businesses to invest in other company's? 2) Do you think the government should intervene more or should they let those company's do their own decision making?
  • anonymous on 06 Dec 12
     
    1) Subsidies so that businesses will be willing to take a risk and invest in other companies. 2) Canada is a mixed economy. Government should intervene if the situation is critical but it should also be up to companies to make the rational decision for their company. Netan
  • Cristina Raileanu on 07 Dec 12
     
    1) A crazy one would be to not corporate tax, them, if only for the beginning. Maybe subsidies the companies the government wants businesses to be involved in, and to be willing to invest into.
  • Valentina Padure on 14 Dec 12
     
    2.I think the government should not intervene in the decisions different companies make unless it greatly affects the country's economy.
lebiez piranaj

Canada Income Inequality: Governments Effective In Softening Wage Gap, Study Says - 2 views

www.huffingtonpost.ca/...lity-government_n_1918093.html

canada income inequality governments wage gap study

shared by lebiez piranaj on 17 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • Researchers at the Ottawa-based Centre for the Study of Living Standards looked at how much taxes and government benefits helped to even things out between the rich and the poor in Canada over the past three decades
  • They found that taxes and spending have persistently dampened inequality, but not enough to stop the increase in inequality over time
  • before-tax income inequality rose 19.4 per cent over three decades
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • income inequality was 44 per cent less severe than it would have been if governments had not intervened.
  • Transfer payments – such as old-age benefits or family benefits — were responsible for most of this dampening effect, while taxation accounted for about 30 per cent of the reduction
  • Governments were most active in redistribution of income in 1994, they found. If they had kept up that level of redistribution, they would have eliminated half of the rise in inequality over three decades
  • Canada ranks 24th out of 35 countries in terms of equality in the late 2000s
  • Canada was one of the least active countries in terms of using tax or transfer policy to redistribute income, ranking 25th out of 30 countries.
  • lebiez piranaj on 18 Jan 13
     
    This article talks about how the government is doing very good with reducing the inequality with the tax cuts and all but that they could be more aggressive. It's suggesting that we need a new redistribution plan but mainly focuses on what it counts to be the most important thing in getting rid of the debt, the governments role in all this. Asks questions like what if the government had made different decisions. 
Erica Yeo

The widening gap in Canada's labour market - The Globe and Mail - 1 views

www.theglobeandmail.com/...article4104784

inequality canada challenges skillsgap solutions globeandmail

shared by Erica Yeo on 16 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • A fault line is splintering Canada’s labour market into those who can’t find work and those who can’t find workers.
  • employers across the country say they can’t find the right workers for all kinds of available jobs.
  • Groups with high jobless rates such as aboriginal people, recent immigrants and those with disabilities are struggling to land good jobs, limiting their ability to climb the economic ladder.
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • At the same time, employers from Newfoundland and Labrador to the Prairies say shortages are constraining their ability to grow, innovate and compete.
  • Structural shifts in the labour market mean “workers in declining industries may not have the skills or experience to match immediately the needs of employers in expanding industries,”
  • Unemployment is high, even as the number of job vacancies continues to rise
  • That means more-efficient partnerships between employers and universities and colleges,
  • “The lack of young people pursuing further education in engineering and science and technology, is definitely a strain on our ability to grow,”
  • Last month it called on the federal and provincial governments to work with employers to find strategies to overcome expected shortfalls.
  • It says improving skills and workplace training should become a national priority, and recommended more companies make a “strategic decision to take a direct role in creating the skilled workforces and talent pipelines they need.”
  • In Canada, part of the problem is that many people haven’t pursued careers in areas where all the job growth is happening. Mining and energy extraction are, by far, the fastest-growing segments of job growth in Canada over the past year, with employment gains of 5.7 per cent.
  • Despite the presence of the local universities churning out tech graduates, he estimates there are about 1,900 current vacancies for technical jobs in the Kitchener-Waterloo region “that are unfilled and have been for some time.
  • the labour market imbalance “is the largest threat to our economy,”
  • Without that effort, he estimates 1.5 million jobs could go unfilled in 10 years’ time.
S C

10 Things You Need To Do While You're Unemployed - Forbes - 1 views

www.forbes.com/...d-to-do-while-youre-unemployed

unemployed forbes what to do

shared by S C on 16 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • zimbello If you can accomplish the writers list you don’t need corporate. Corporate needs you. Put your skills to work for yourself…far more rewarding. Glen Loock Read the article and loved what it says, “Rely on yourself”. This is a new time and it requires a change in our thought pattern. All ten are great ways gai [...] Philippe Scheimann These are indeed 10 excellent points. I would actually expand in the point of ‘start a professional blog’ by actually ‘establish your presence on the Inter [...] Henry Cameron Chang Great article with a great message. This has been something I’ve been telling people for a long time. Fredick Anquandah Interesting piece of advice there…Thanks for that on ma way to the first step and hope it gets me there… Laura Ede I agree – taking a temporary/contract role is an option that job hunters should consider. After spending 10 years in the Public Sector I was made redundant [...] Susan Keefe Unfortunately, I find myself among the unemployed so articles such as this have consumed a good deal of my time lately. These are great tips, especially fo [...] 20 comments, 12 called-out Comment Now Follow Comments Following Comments Unfollow Comments Comment Now Follow Comments Following Comments Unfollow Comments 2.9k 1.2k 888 gigya_share_button_li
  • vast majority of employers are sympathetic to such circumstances.
  • More than 40% of unemployed job seekers have been out of work for six months or longer
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • But this doesn’t mean you can sit around and wait for a sympathetic employer to offer you work.
  • The key is to get people to see your work and to see what you’re capable of doing
  • “The worry is that employers may think job seekers are losing some of their skills because they haven’t been utilizing them. By volunteering, taking temporary work, or signing up for a class that develops your professional tool kit, you show employers that you’ve made the most of your time and will be ready on day one
  • If you fill the gaps with activities and experience that illustrate how you are still developing your skill sets, the overwhelming majority of employers will look past your unemployment and focus on what you can bring to their team
  • Take a temporary or contract assignment
  • If you do a great job, even if it’s for a temporary job, whoever hired you is more likely to recommend you for a permanent position
  • You never stop learning in your career, so the more technical competence you have, the better
  • showing that you are serious about your work and that you take initiative.” Another advantage to taking a class: It’s a great networking opportunity.
  • When you volunteer for something, you are telling potential employers something about you as a person
  • When companies are hiring, they are looking not only for people who can get the job done but also for people with character and integrity
  • S C on 16 Jan 13
     
    Many employers understand that the recession may worsen some parts of the resume, but they are sympathetic and some ways to better your chances are to take temporary assignments, take a class and volunteer when unemployed
lebiez piranaj

Canada's Income Inequality: What Is It, And How Bad? - 1 views

www.huffingtonpost.ca/...lity-by-numbers_n_1545900.html

poverty canada income inequality growing

shared by lebiez piranaj on 17 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • income inequality could be “the new global warming.”
  • in the last three decades income for the richest Canadians has increased far faster than it has for the poorest
  • As the income gap widens and rich neighbourhoods become unaffordable for middle- and low-income families, good schools become less accessible
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • As of 2009, the average Canadian family had an after-tax income of $60,000, an increase of 16 per cent from the Canadian average of $52,000 in 1980
  • the top 10 per cent have pulled ahead of the pack
  • The average income that families in the bottom 20 per cent make from employment has decreased by 60 per cent since 1980, whereas the average earnings in the top 10 per cent has grown by 45 per cent
  • Canada’s Gini was estimated to be 0.32 – a middling value
  • More telling is that in the past decade, Canada’s Gini has risen faster than all but five of the OECD’s 34 countries
  • Wilkinson says that as the income gap widens, problems related to social status increase
  • lebiez piranaj on 17 Jan 13
     
    The article talks about how income inequality is increasing in Canada. It talks about how the rich are getting a bigger income over the years then the poor. 
Rohan Zahur

Teacher Bashing: The Inequality Psychology | Inequality.org - 1 views

inequality.org/-bashing-inequality-psychology

inequality

shared by Rohan Zahur on 22 Nov 12 - No Cached
  • Rohan Zahur on 22 Nov 12
     
    Q1: What would be your solution to this inequality? Would it really affect people(help teachers; students; any consequences)? Q2: Would your choice be efficient to the state? What would be opportunity costs for your solution?
  • Dyena Huynh on 22 Nov 12
     
    1. my solution to this inequality would be to increase taxes on the wealthy and decrease for the poor and focus the use of taxes more on public schools because that's where it's needed most. Since the problem isn't really about the taxes, it's the rich people themselves and their attitude toward public services so there should be a policy where rich have to support at most, public schools. 2. Yes my choice would be efficient because this way you can at least reduce the wealth gap between the wealthy and poor. The main opportunity cost for my solution is paying more taxes but for a better result in education and basic necessities needed in schools for students to be educated properly.
Brijesh Patel

Well Educated canadians have no future - 0 views

oncampus.macleans.ca/...the-new-underclass

no future for the upcoming generation

shared by Brijesh Patel on 18 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • Brijesh Patel on 18 Jan 13
     
    Some 6.4 per cent of Canada's total workforce-1.2 million people-now consists of part-time workers under 30 who wish they could work full time. university-educated Canadians experienced a relative increase in unemployment between 1997 and 2005 and a corresponding dip in relative wages, according to a federal government study. By contrast, those with a college, or even a high school education, managed to improve (or at least maintain) their outlook, relative to other workers. In fact, the only group that experienced a similar relative increase in unemployment during the period were those Canadians without even a high school diploma. Employers increasingly expect workers to pay for their own retirements. That's not easy when you don't have money. A survey by the Bank of Montreal found that only about 10 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 34 had given any thought to retirement planning. Job security is also increasingly scarce. Stung by the 2009 recession, employers in industries ranging from retail sales to information technology are preoccupied with building a flexible workforce In an effort to close the gap, the federal government is planning to bring in as many as 3,000 foreign skilled workers this year by De-emphasizing the university-educated and focusing instead on welders and electricians. Economists say the market will eventually sort itself out. Wages and benefits in the trades should become more attractive as desperate employers try to woo new workers.
Erica Yeo

Federal Budget 2012: It's time to address income inequality, think-tank says - thestar.com - 0 views

www.thestar.com/...ome-inequality-think-tank-says

inequality canada income gap challenges star

shared by Erica Yeo on 16 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • Income inequality in Canada is at a 30-year high, rising at a faster pace than in the U.S.
  • The group urges the government to tackle this situation with wide-ranging reforms to the tax system.
  • to address poverty through improved education, pension, affordable housing and pharmacare programs. It also urges Ottawa to adopt a national child care plan.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • The CCPA’s proposals include raising the income tax rate for those making more than $250,000 a year, repealing corporate income tax cuts, reducing capital gains tax breaks
  • scrap costly programs like new prisons and fighter jets that don’t reflect the priorities of mainstream Canada.”
S C

5 Things to do when you're unemployed. Hint: It's not job hunting. | Penelope Trunk Blog - 0 views

blog.penelopetrunk.com/...loyed-hint-its-not-job-hunting

things to do unemployed job hunting

shared by S C on 16 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • the interview question: What happened at your last job?Here's the answer you should always give: “I left to do x.” And you fill in for x
  • what you should be really focusing on when you are unemployed: Learning and growing
  • Because this is what you are going to talk about in job interviews
  • ...13 more annotations...
  • when you talk about why you left the last company, you spin it in a positive light by talking about how you are excited about doing what you are doing. Your interview should include you telling a good story about focused personal growth, and no one will get stuck on why you left your last job
  • During one stint of unemployment, I worked for free for my boyfriend's company for a couple of hours a day. That way I didn't actually have a gap in my resume; a resume doesn't show part-time or full-time and it doesn't show pay or no pay
  • ocus on ambition and execution and not so much on work per se
  • The company that never got out of your parent's basement can sit on your resume as professionally as a stint in the Fortune 500. It's all about how you write the bullet points: talk about accomplishments and learning
  • Put your ideas out into the world and connect with people that way. This is why you want to be hired, right? For your ideas. So show them.
  • Blogging is a great way to keep up in your industry, network without looking desperate
  • Do you have a company idea? Try it now. During unemployment. There's nothing stopping you.
  • whether or not your company does well, you'll be able to talk about it in an interview as a huge learning moment
  • The reason that people who blog have great careers is that bloggers are always thinking about issues in their industry. Show that side of yourself to people. Blogging takes a lot of time, sure. Bu you have a lot of time. So use it.
  • High performers practice for interviews
  • Practice talking about yourself with everyone
  • So now you know what you're aiming for, but you need to talk about it with everyone — parties, at the gym, on the phone with friends. When they ask how you're doing, talk about what you're doing like you are in the job interview.
  • What's important to remember here is that no one can tell you what experience you can gain and what you can't. You don't need a job in order to learn cool stuff and be on cool projects. You control what you do with your time and you can make it useful. Talk about that. There is no reason to talk about why the last job didn't work when you can talk about the great things that leaving opened up to you
  • S C on 16 Jan 13
     
    Job hunting for 8 hours a day isn't the ideal way to get rehired. Instead, focus on spinning a positive light on negative questions your next interviewer might ask. For example, when asked why you left your last job, quickly get to why you're interested the one you'er applying for.
tyler wiliams

Income inequality rising quickly in Canada - 1 views

www.theglobeandmail.com/...article618311

income inequality canada challenges

shared by tyler wiliams on 18 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • tyler wiliams on 18 Jan 13
     
    From the mid 1990's - late 2000's Canada had the fourth largest increase in income inequality among it's peers. Income inequality, along with corruption, were named as the two most serious challenges facing the world at this year's World Economic Forum in Davos. the impact of the growing income gap has gather little attention in Canada market forces and globalization are increasing disparity, along with institutional shifts such as dwindling unionization rates and stagnating minimum wages.
Nikita Klyuev

David Rosenberg's 5 reasons Canada's household debt panic is overblown - 0 views

business.financialpost.com/...sehold-debt-panic-is-overblown

canada consumer debt credit advice

shared by Nikita Klyuev on 17 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • Nikita Klyuev on 17 Jan 13
     
    Canadian debt/income ratio isn't as bad as it looks. Because Canadians pay for their health care through their taxes, their disposable income is distorted relative to the U.S. In terms of personal income, the ratio is actually closer to 118%, rather the scary 165%. Canadian household debt relative to assets (19%) and net worth (24%) is below prior peaks of 20% and 25%, respectively. Rosenberg estimates Canada would need to see a 20% drop in the housing market to get net worth/income ratio down to the U.S. level. Canadians have more equity in their homes - 69% of the value compared with 43% in the U.S. "This equity gap is a prime reason why Canadian household net worth/income ratio (at over 500%) is some 35 percentage points above U.S. levels," Rosenberg writes. Canadians are better able to service their debts. Canadian wage growth at 4% a year is about double what it is in the U.S. - a rise that pretty much matches the average interest rate they are paying. The debt-servicing ratio in Canadian households is now just over 7% - a level it has only been below in the past 15% of the time. So even though Canadian interest rates are 75 basis points higher than in U.S, it is not hampering our ability to handle debt.
Cristina Raileanu

Suncor Weighing Spending Cuts on Oil Discount: Corporate - Bloomberg - 0 views

www.bloomberg.com/...hing-cuts-on-oil-discount.html

cuts oil spending commodities resources

shared by Cristina Raileanu on 17 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • C$11.6 billion ($11.8 billion) oil-sands project the first major spending reduction among Alberta energy pr
  • West Canada Select, traded at a record $42.50 a barrel less than U.S. crude on Dec. 14.
  • C$2.5 billion a month because of the lower prices, according to an estimate by Houston-based investment bank PPHB Securities LP. The discount has helped erode Canadian oil profits and hurt companies’ shares.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • Steam Tar
  • ncor Options
  • rom 2011, according to the average of 20 estimates. ‘Train Wreck’
  • Pipeline Opposition
  • ation
  • Narrowing Gap
lebiez piranaj

For richer, for poorer | The Economist - 1 views

www.economist.com/21564414

gini coefficient disparities inequality income distribution

shared by lebiez piranaj on 16 Jan 13 - No Cached
  • the share of national income going to the richest 1% of Americans has doubled since 1980
  • rise in disparities all along the income distribution
  • best-known way of measuring inequality is the Gini coefficient
  • ...15 more annotations...
  • global inequality has started to fall even as inequality within many countries has risen
  • inequality rises in the early stages of industrialisation as people leave the land
  • inequality has been on the rise for three decades
  • people at the bottom and even in the middle of the income distribution are falling behind not just in relative but also in absolute terms
  • Too often high-tax welfare states turned out to be inefficient and unsustainable
  • Europe France’s new president, François Hollande, wants a top income-tax rate of 75%
  • The mainstream consensus has long been that a growing economy raises all boats
  • of the tendencies that are harmful to sound economics, the most seductive and…poisonous is to focus on questions of distribution
  • Some societies are more concerned about equality of opportunity
  • The unstable history of Latin America, long the continent with the biggest income gaps, suggests that countries run by entrenched wealthy elites do not do very well
  • America’s presidential election is largely being fought over questions such as whether taxes should rise at the top
  • a big driver of today’s income distributions is government policy
  • a lot of today’s inequality is inefficient
  • reflects market and government failures that also reduce growth
  • it is about attacking cronyism and investing in the young
  • lebiez piranaj on 16 Jan 13
     
    The article talks about how inequality may have decreased worldwide but it is increasing more and more in specific countries, Canada has fairly high inequality and there are propositions to tax the rich or redistribute income using other strategies. 
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