LMI Research: April 12, 2018

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Labour Market Hot Sheet

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April 12, 2018

BC's unemployment rate the best in the country

Research / Employment Data

The B.C. unemployment rate is by far the best in Canada, almost a full percentage point ahead of the next best. Statistics Canada has pegged the B.C. rate at 4.7%. The next best was Ontario, at 5.5%.

Employment in British Columbia held steady in March and has been relatively unchanged since the summer of 2017. On a year-over-year basis, employment grew by 33,000 or 1.3%, lower than the average year-over-year growth rate of 3.7% throughout 2017.

Across the country, the economy delivered 32,300 net new jobs last month as Canada generated a rush of full-time work that helped hold the national unemployment rate at a record low.

Statistics Canada says the jobless rate stayed at 5.8 per cent in March for a second consecutive month - and for the third time since December - to match its lowest level since the agency started measuring the indicator in 1976.

The agency says the labour force produced 68,300 full-time positions last month and shed 35,900 part-time jobs.

Employment in construction increased by 18,000 in March. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment in this industry grew by 54,000 (+3.8%), mostly driven by gains in the second half of 2017.

There were 12,000 more people working in public administration in March. On a year-over-year basis, employment was virtually unchanged.

In agriculture, employment rose by 8,100 in March. On a year-over-year basis, employment was flat.

On a year-over-year basis, the fastest pace of employment growth was in transportation and warehousing (+6.1% or +56,000).

The report also found that average hourly wage growth, which has been under close scrutiny by the Bank of Canada ahead of interest-rate decisions, strengthened in March to 3.3 per cent, up from 3.1 per cent the previous month.

New and extended leaves support working families

Family Care / Employment Standards

Harry Bains, Minister of Labour, introduced amendments to the Employment Standards Act this week. The amendments, if approved by the legislature, is intended to support working families in British Columbia by providing new, extended and more flexible maternity, parental and compassionate care leaves.

" These amendments are about supporting B.C. workers and extending compassion to families who face tragic circumstances, such as the loss or disappearance of a child, or the need to care for a dying family member," said Bains. " It will not erase the pain experienced during a personal or family crisis, but it can help ease the worry and stress over job security."

The amendments will allow mothers to start their pregnancy leave, also known as maternity leave, as early as 13 weeks before the expected birth date, up from the current 11 weeks. New parents will also have the option to take a longer unpaid parental leave to care for their new child ó resulting in a total of up to 18 months of leave for birth mothers ó while ensuring job protection. These changes align B.C.'s leave provisions with federal employment insurance (EI) benefits.

Parents who face life's most difficult circumstances, which may require extended absence from their jobs, will now have additional supports. In addition to the extended maternity and parental leave amendments, Bains introduced a new unpaid, job-protected leave of up to 52 weeks to help if a worker's child is missing as a result of a crime. Currently, there is no provision in B.C. for parents to take a leave from work in the event their child is missing.

In addition, the Province will introduce a new unpaid leave providing job protection for parents dealing with the death of a child. This leave will provide up to 104 weeks if a worker's child under 19 years of age dies under any circumstances - a significant addition to the three days of unpaid 'bereavement leave' currently available. B.C. will join Ontario as the only provinces to offer job protection after a child's death for any reason.

Further, the amendments to compassionate care leave will more than triple the length of leave, from eight weeks to 27 weeks. This is available to an employee who must care for a family member who is terminally ill.

The changes will ensure B.C.'s employment standards for these five special work absences are at least as good, if not better, than those offered by other jurisdictions in Canada. They will also enable eligible British Columbians to access full EI maternity, parental and compassionate care benefits without jeopardizing their job.

Does Job Hopping Help or Hurt Your Career?

Career Planning / Recruitment

The tenure tide is shifting, and more workers - especially those from younger generations - see rewards in job hopping, according to new research from global staffing firm Robert Half. Fifty-seven per cent of Canadian professionals polled think changing roles every few years can be beneficial, with the biggest perk being a higher salary. This marks a 14 per cent increase from a similar survey conducted four years ago.

Executives don't necessarily agree. A separate survey of CFOs found 59 per cent are not at all likely to hire a candidate with a history of job hopping because they want to avoid losing them in the future.

When asked the number of role changes in 10 years that constitute a job hopper, professionals said five and CFOs cited eight. Other key findings from the research:

Sixty-three per cent of employees ages 18 to 34 view job hopping as beneficial, compared to 54 per cent of workers ages 35 to 54 and 52 per cent of those age 55 and older.
Company size matters: 80 per cent of CFOs at companies with more than 1,000 employees said they would avoid candidates with a history of frequent job changes.
The biggest drawback of job hopping, cited by 42 per cent of workers, is being perceived as a flight risk.

" While job hopping can have short-term advantages, many employers are cautious when considering candidates who make frequent moves," said Greg Scileppi, president of Robert Half, International Staffing Operations. "Before jumping to a new position, ensure you've made the most of growth opportunities in your current role and seek an outside opinion to weigh the impact a change may have on long-term career prospects."

This Week in Social Media

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Trend: Employers increasingly frustrated by job interview 'no shows'

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Manufacturing: The year 2017 in review [Click Here]

Clean Energy: BC FED President Irene Lanzinger calls climate change and inequality 'defining problems of our time' [Click Here]

Salary: Have you seen a bump in your pay? Wages up in BC, says StatsCan [Click Here]

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Career Development Events

Burnaby Spring 2018 Job Fair

Thurs Apr 12th | 11am-3pm

Nikkei Cultural Centre, 6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby, British Columbia