Finding work in Alberta now requires more than a pulse: employer
07.11.2008 21:03
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- Source: cbc.ca
 While there are still plenty of 'Help Wanted' signs around Calgary, employers say they can now be picky about the people they hire.(CBC)Alberta employers who were previously desperate for employees suddenly have the luxury of carefully looking at resumes and assessing skills before handing out jobs. The recent economic turmoil has put some oilsands and housing projects in the province on hold and made it harder for companies to access the investment they need to grow. But that doesn't mean Canadians are abandoning their hopes of finding a job in the once red-hot province. In fact, October's jobs report, released Friday, shows Alberta the biggest job expansion in Canada, gaining 14,700 workers. While the national unemployment rate was 6.2 per cent in October, Alberta's was 3.7 per cent, the lowest in the country. Calgary's unemployment rate is at 3.8 pe rcent and Edmonton's at 3.4. Employees need to work harder to find jobs, keep themAt a job fair in Calgary Thursday, attendees were lucky to walk away with a business card. Just a few years ago such an event would have been a guaranteed way to find a decent-paying job. The speed at which it all turned around came as bit of a shock to people like Greg Baher, who was manning the booth for Whissell Contracting Ltd. "Three years ago when we were doing recruiting fairs and career fairs I would never send anybody to another booth.… If somebody came to me I would scoop them right away. Today I'm sending people to other booths … even our competition, hoping these people can find jobs." Baher said it's a welcome change from a few years ago when breathing was pretty much the only job requirement. "We've had to, as a manager, eat a lot of crow and put up with a lot of people that I normally wouldn't have kept. So now it's sort of payback in a sense," he said. "You've got to work hard and you've got to be good at what you do. Whereas before if you had a pulse and you could see straight you were coming in and I'd hire you." Oswald Mase, 27, moved to Calgary from Windsor, Ont., four months ago with the hopes of cashing in on his new degree in mechanical engineering. Instead, Mase is working at Superstore earning $15 an hour, a wage he said would have been hard for him to make in Windsor. Mase was at the job fair getting the low-down on drilling rigs, one of the few groups of exhibitors who were in the hiring mood. "I'm working hard but the reward is not what I would like.… So I'm looking for something I'm qualified for, something that I went to school for." Modest job increase in CanadaThe jobs report released Friday found across Canada employment rose by a modest 9,500, while the unemployment rate edged up one-tenth of a percentage point to 6.2 per cent as more Canadians looked for work. But economists pointed out that the temporary hiring of about 40,000 workers to administer the federal election was the reason for the growth. Private-sector employment actually declined in the month by 20,000. "Things are going to get worse," predicted Dale Orr, managing director of the forecasting firm Global Insight. "We see no employment growth next year and the unemployment rate going up to seven per cent." With files from the anadian PressRelatedInternal LinksCanada's October employment figures hold steadyB.C.'s unemployment rate climbsU.S. unemployment rate hits 14-year highAlberta looks to Germany to fill labour shortageHelp wanted: Alberta asks for ideas on solving labour shortage Thousands seek Alberta jobs at St. John's fairAlberta faces labour crunch in next 20 years: Conference BoardConsumer HeadlinesCFIA to launch new listeria testing protocolsCanada's food watchdog says it will impose more stringent regulations that force food companies across the country to test their deli meats for listeria. 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