Archive for the ‘Economy/Employment’ Category
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Governments must protect those in ‘precarious’ jobs
… most precarious workers never complain to the Ministry of Labour. That’s because the employment act currently offers no protection against unjust dismissal. So most employees – who are identified to their employer by the ministry the moment they make a complaint – choose a pay cheque over their rights… these recommendations will put an end to precarious employment, they could go a long way toward helping workers lead more stable home and work lives, bolster economic competitiveness, and protect workers’ rights.
Tags: crime prevention, economy, featured, ideology, participation, rights, standard of living
Posted in Delivery System | No Comments »
Ontario employers get slap on wrist for mistreating employees
Under the current model, employers have almost no incentive to obey the law in the first place… And while employers can afford lawyers, the majority of workers cannot… Recognizing that relying on vulnerable workers to enforce their own rights makes little sense, many jurisdictions have moved to a more proactive model of enforcement.
Tags: crime prevention, featured, ideology, participation, rights, standard of living
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Fresh thinking about social policy
For 20 years we went along as our political leaders promised to “do more with less”; “deliver services more efficiently”; and create “transformative change.” Too late, we realized these fine-sounding phrases were euphemisms for downloading, dismantling and disinvestment… By decoupling job training from EI, Ottawa could remove one of the biggest barriers to young people seeking employment, workers who need to upgrade their skills and the long-term unemployed. This is the kind of thinking we need to change course.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Precarious work is now the new norm, United Way report says
… about 52 per cent of workers are in temporary, contract, or part-time positions… “This is the new form of employment.” It is also a major cause of social stress for people, regardless of income. Precarious workers are twice as likely as those in stable jobs to report having mental health problems. They are six times more likely to delay starting a relationship because of job uncertainty. They are three times more likely to delay having kids. And almost half of precarious workers say their employment situation disrupts their family life.
Tags: economy, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Trans-Pacific Partnership too important to Canada to be held hostage to partisan politics
The TPP will eliminate tariffs on Canadian exports and lower the costs of moving goods and people across borders. It will remove restrictions on Canadian investment and the activities of our services exporters. It will help protect intellectual property rights and guard against discriminatory regulations that exclude Canadian products and services… The TPP should even make it easier to do business with our NAFTA partners.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Ontario allowing employers to fire workers without cause
Ontario’s outdated employment laws, currently under review, were designed to create basic protections for the majority of the province’s non-unionized workers. Instead, millions are falling through the gaps created by a dizzying array of loopholes, from the dangerous to the downright bizarre… critics argue that its confusing web of exemptions makes it harder for the so-called precariously employed to defend their rights — and easier for bosses to ignore them.
Tags: economy, featured, Health, ideology, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
The new key to economic growth is unlocking latent talent
… almost half of today’s professions could be automatable by 2025. Speculation about what will replace them ranges from unexpected opportunities to large-scale unemployment as machines displace most human labour. The first signs of this disruption are already visible. Global unemployment has topped 212 million… Meanwhile, last year, 36 per cent of employers worldwide reported facing difficulties in finding talent, the highest percentage in seven years.
Tags: economy, featured, globalization, standard of living, youth
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Ontario employers cashing in on temporary workers
Under Ontario’s antiquated Employment Standards Act… there is no limit on how long a company can employ a worker as temporary before giving him or her a permanent job. There is nothing to stop employers from paying temp workers less than their permanent counterparts, nothing to prevent them from hiring their entire workforce on a “temporary” basis if they so choose… they don’t have to give you benefits, they don’t have to give you a pension, they can hire you for a lot less, there’s no incentive for them to hire permanently.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, participation, rights, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
Services exports: Canada’s quiet growth engine
… Three out of the five fastest-growing Canadian exports over the past decade were financial services, computer services and management services… Ontario’s manufactured exports declined over the past decade, but the province actually posted positive overall export growth… Ontario’s economy is dominated by the service sector, and some of those services are now being actively sold globally… Canadian companies are succeeding internationally by integrating client services into their product offerings.
Tags: economy, globalization, standard of living
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‘Wild West’ scheduling holds millions of Ontario workers hostage
Many low-wage workers desperately need to take on second jobs but can’t, because employers expect full-time availability from their part-time employees… a practice that causes havoc in the lives of millions of Ontario workers but is almost completely ignored by provincial law. The result in many industries is a “brutal combination” of unpredictable schedules, insufficient hours and poor wages
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, rights, standard of living, women
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
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