Get the most out of your profile with some more useful LI features!

1. Share links on and watch them show up on LinkedIn Today

2. Search status updates with LinkedIn Signal

3. Keep your company's page up to date

4. Optimize your URL

5. Join groups related to your industry

6. Take advantage of Google search results

7. Make sure your profile is complete and up to date

8. Looking for a promotion? Search the next position you want and look at the skills you'll need

9. Looking to hire?

10. Need a resumé in a hurry?

 - Check this: How To Save An Hour By Building Your Resume With LinkedIn

11. How else can you manage your image?

New research shows skilled immigrants help companies grow globally and locally | CanadianBusiness.com

New research shows skilled immigrants help companies grow globally and locally | CanadianBusiness.com

7 Success Secrets for Canadian Immigrants

Nick Noorani, founding publisher of Canadian Immigrant magazine and bestselling author of Arrival Survival Canada, will be hosting a FREE SEMINAR.

Nick's message is one of positive thinking, embracing Canada as your new home, and creating opportunities through risk-taking and community participation.

His frank and humorous presentations draw on his immigrant journey and on success tories from the many newcomers he has met along the way.

Nick’s speeches have had a profound effect on his audience. Now it's your turn! Join Nick and learn the secrets to successful immigration in Canada.

Admission is free by pre-registration only. Seating is limited, so register today!

Fabricating our Future

Marie Laird, Chair, SME Toronto

There's a connection between the decline in manufacturing and the decline in the middle class. If we don't reverse the trend, we can look forward to careers in the service sector.

  

"Industry classification systems used by the government commonly divide industry into three sectors: agriculture, manufacturing, and services. The primary sector of industry is agriculture, mining and raw material extraction. The secondary sector of industry is manufacturing. The tertiary sector of industry is service production." (Wikipedia)

It's no secret that our country has progressed through the various stages of industry described above similar to most developed nations.  We started as farmers, fishermen, lumberjacks and miners - and progressed to the production of manufactured goods during the Industrial Revolution.

We have now moved into the tertiary sectors as evidenced by the fact that the service sector has grown to account for 71.3% GDP and 76% of the labour force (2009 stats). Higher commodity prices have helped revitalize certain primary industries, but manufacturing has continued to decline from a high of 29% of GDP in 1944 to only 13% of GDP and 13% of the labour force in 2010.

What do these statistics mean? Has our standard of living continually increased - in line with our progression through each of these stages?

When did Canada have the greatest sense of prosperity? When did people in Canada and people coming to Canada, on average, have the most positive outlook for themselves and their children? 

The answer is, "Not now." 

I'm not suggesting that life in Canada hasn't improved in many ways since we were primarily hewers of wood and drawers of water, or even when we were heavily focused on manufacturing.

However a high standard of living is more than just owning material goods once considered luxuries. The opportunity for all members of society to make a contribution, earn a good wage, and live a healthy life in a clean and safe environment plays a much larger role than often credited. A critical indicator of a high standard of living is a shared sense of hope for a better future.

For some people the good times continue. Unfortunately for increasing numbers, such as those formerly employed in manufacturing, the future is quite bleak and the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen as opportunities for the middle class disappear.

Our collective hope for a better future is in decline and we no longer have confidence that life, in general, will continue to improve.

I looked at some average weekly wages by industry for 2010. Mining and oil and gas extraction had the highest average -$1700 per week (no surprise with commodity prices soaring). Forestry averaged $950 and manufacturing $960.

In the service sector, public administration (government jobs) averaged $1094 per week and finance and insurance industries came in at $1049.   However, there were other service sector positions which were much lower. Those in accommodation and food services, for example, earned an average of $354 per week and those in retail earned an average of $500 per week.

I couldn't find the answer, but I'd like to know the average wage in the service sector. I would bet that as we move more and more toward a service sector economy that our average wage as a nation will decrease...and that we will be more harshly divided between the upper class and the lower class with little in between.

Historically manufacturing played a strong role in the development and maintenance of the middle class. As manufacturing has declined, so too has the middle class.  Jobs in oil and gas, finance, insurance have not filled the gap. That's not to say those industries and jobs don't have a place...it's just a question of balance.

The service sector cannot revive the middle class.

So why are we still letting manufacturing decline? 

All the best!

Marie Laird
Chair
Society of Manufacturing Engineers Toronto
e: marie.laird@smetoronto.ca
w: http://www.smetoronto.ca
Advancing Manufacturing in Ontario

Canadian Diaspora

A Somalian arrives in Vancouver as a new immigrant to Canada. He stops the first person he sees walking down the street and says, ”Thank you Mr. Canadian for letting me in this country, giving me housing, money for food, free medical care, free education and no taxes!”

The passerby says, ” You are mistaken, I am Mexican.”

The man goes on and encounters another passerby. ”Thank you for having such a beautiful country here in Canada!”

The person says, ”I not Canadian, I am Vietnamese.”

The new arrival walks further, and the next person he sees he stops, shakes his hand and says, ”Thank you for the wonderful Canada!”

That person puts up his hand and says, ”I am from Middle East, I am not Canadian!”

He finally sees a nice lady and asks, ”Are you a Canadian?”

She says, ”No, I am from Africa!”

Puzzled, he asks her, ”Where are all the Canadians?”

The African lady checks her watch and says …”Probably at work!”

Check "Panacea" - dr. Suneel Sethi's Blog for more humorous and interesting posts.

News You Can Use - How Recruiters Read Resumes In 10 Seconds or Less

With 30 years experience as a recruiter, Brad Remillard is summarizing in the below article the resume's "must haves" or you're out!


Check it here.


Download a sample cover letter proven to work with recruiters and get your resume noticed. CLICK HERE to download yours. Over 2,000 people have done this.


Check also these FREE Resources

9 Seconds or Less ... to fascinate

In today's world of 9-second attention spans, our introductions mean more-than-ever before. Sally Hogshead reveals the seven triggers of fascination and how to get others to fall in love with your ideas, instantly.

Check it out: Radical Careering.

News You Can Use - Engineering job outlook through to 2018

Ottawa, ON. -- Engineers Canada has released a labour market study that shows the current and future market conditions in engineering. The study tracked current national labour supply and demand and includes a projection from 2010 to 2018, providing engineering students, universities, employers and governments with insight into labour market forecasts. 

Included in the study is information on qualifications and attribute requirements, along with career opportunities for those considering immigrating to Canada. For instance, while levels of immigration and Canadian graduation established in 2008-2009 are likely sufficient to balance markets across the coming decade, issues such as replacement demands related to retirements in many occupations will add to current challenges in recruiting experienced engineers.

The Engineering Labour Market Conditions 2009-2018 report is available online as a pdf document here. [http://www.engineerscanada.ca/files/engineering_labour_market_conditions_report_2010.pdf]

For additional information, visit www.engineerscanada.ca or www.randstadengineering.ca.

News You Can Use - Keep a tidy desk!

Canadian HR Reporter - Article - Messy desk affects professional reputation: Survey

How to make work-life balance work by Nigel Marsh

Work-life balance, says Nigel Marsh, is too important to be left in the hands of your employer. At TEDxSydney, Marsh lays out an ideal day balanced between family time, personal time and productivity -- and offers some stirring encouragement to make it happen.




Nigel Marsh is the author of "Fat, Forty and Fired" and "Overworked and Underlaid." Full bio and more links