Fall 2012 Challenges Assignment

Out west, we’ve had it pretty good. Unemployment is low, incomes are high, and the GDP is set to grow faster than almost anywhere.

We are not here for ourselves alone.

we focus on what immigrants can do for us (fill jobs) rather than on what we can do for them (provide beautiful communities and the chance to participate in building something amazing).

Commodity prices this morning are as follows:Gold: $1668.80/ounce up by $8.20/ounceSilver: $30.77/ounce up by $0.362/ounceOil: $94.17/barrel up by $0.61/barrelRBOB Gas: $2.7461/gallon up by $0.0066/gallonNatural Gas: $3.355/MMbtu up by $0.028/MMbtu

This weekend we saw where Carl Icahn has taken a 1.56% stake in Transocean (RIG) and is seeking to gain regulatory approval to purchase a larger stake which would take his holdings to over 5% of the company.

Alpha Natural Resources (ANR) did not pop above $10/share and hold and did in fact begin a pullback towards $9.50/share starting last Thursday (the same day we wrote about the crossroads the stock was at - see here).

es for higher demand pushed up commodity prices. Strong demand for commodities from

Gold prices also climbed with the February contract up $22.50 to US$1,678 an ounce, pushing the gold sector ahead about 2.2 per cent. Goldcorp Inc. (TSX:G) climbed $1.26 to C$36.68 while Iamgold Inc. (TSX:IMG) gained 20 cents to $10.73.

The energy sector was ahead 0.44 per cent while the February crude contract gained 72 cents to US$93.82 after earlier hitting a three-month high of US$94.70 a barrel. Prices also got a boost from a report that Saudi Arabia cut its crude production by nearly five per cent last month to the lowest level in 19 months.

is acknowledged to have weathered the economic storm better than any other major western economy, bank bailouts have been avoided, sustained growth has returned,"

"highest credit rating in the world,

Canada learned some sound policy lessons from its own financial and economic meltdowns in the latter decades of the 20th century, a lot of us are now personally up to our eyeballs.

If the bank feels you can pay $2,000 a month on a mortgage, then you generally qualify for the loan, if you have the right credit record and collateral.

It is worth noting here that the money your bank loans for a mortgage is created out of thin air at the push of a button. They do not lend the money of their depositors for this.

interest charges are built into just about every product and service available. Higher interest rates means businesses would have to charge more to recover their loan costs.

That's about the level reached in the United States before the financial crisis.

the household debt to income ratio stood at 164.6 per cent,

navigated through the risks so far, but the time has come to pay off your bills before that happens.

Managing day-to-day spending/budgeting came in third, selected by eight per cent of respondents and down from 14 per cent last year.

45-64 named retirement planning as their top financial priority, which fell to just 12 per cent among that age group in this year’s survey.

“Even small contributions today can make it easier in future years to reach your retirement savings goals,”

“The strength and durability of the pick-up in growth through 2013 and beyond will depend critically on how successful we are in regearing our growth to exports, investment and innovation.”

Bank of Canada senior deputy governor Tiff Macklem said Thursday the economy is expected to pick up this year, but sounded a note of caution amid a soft housing market and weak export demand.

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

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

there was one resume that was so good, but the guy was too high level for what I needed

Then I thought to myself, he’ll definitely get a job soon, and I’d like to have HIS job, so I should send my resume to his company right now.

Love, Mom

Start your own business.

If you have the means to do it, it’s a great résumé booster and a wonderful marketing tool.

you can

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

Canadian job market is faring well unless you're a student seeking well-paying summer work or a graduate

Canada's total jobless rate currently sits at an acceptable 7.4 per cent. But for those in the 15- to 24-age bracket, the unemployment figure is much higher: 14.7 per cent.

Typically, youth unemployment is double that of the national average

Canada's unemployment rate decreased to 7.1 per cent in December

The Bank of Canada has laid out a clearer path for interest rates, pushing back the timing of an eventual increase

Bank of Canada’s benchmark rate from its current setting of 1 per cent.

167 per cent

By 2050, an estimated one-quarter of the population in industrialized countries will be over the age of 65.

significant pressure on its labour market

Most of Ireland’s employment gains then were a direct result of foreign direct investment (FDI). Ireland lowered corporate tax rates and integrated into European markets, thus becoming a choice destination for FDI.

With Canadians so deep in debt, it would be extremely difficult for domestic spending to pick up slack in the economy if things started to go downhill. That could result in a serious downward spiral in employment levels, household spending and the quantity and quality of credit outstanding, the report says.

"Households are spending money they assumed would be coming, then they realize they've run over the cliff because income from exports from these trading partners is not materializing and that's translating to weaker jobs.

domestic consumption is usually the more steady contributor to economic growth compared to exports and investment. But this time, household debt is out of control.

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.