NW Ohio resident

by Dan
(NW Ohio, USA)

Q. One of the many reasons I'd like to jump across Lake Erie to the Canadian side is because jobs don't exist here anymore. One can apply for 10 jobs of something you have 5+ years experience in, and maybe not get one interview or call, as everyone now fights for the work. Is there a minimum wage? Is work any easier to find than my description? Does almost every employer hire part time only, to avoid any benefits? Thank you!

A. Currently the Minimum Wage in Ontario is $9.50 an hour, but as of March 31 2010 it will be increasing to $10.25.

The Unemployment rate in February 2010 in Canada was 8.2%, so the employment situation here is not as good as it once was, but things here are definitely improving steadily, with an increase of 21,000 across Canada last month.

Those are the facts and figures, but on the level of individuals seeking full time work, the situation still has a long way to go.

I think there are many employers here who hire part-time workers to save money because they don't have to include part-time workers in a benefit package - but the figures from Statistics Canada show that "Underlying February's employment change was a notable gain in full-time work (+60,000), which was partially offset by a decline in part time (-39,000). Since the summer of 2009, employment growth has been all in full time."

I hope the situation in both our countries soon improves, meanwhile, perhaps here are a couple of websites I found with lots of information and samples of Resume layouts, cover letters, and even follow-up letters.


Powerful Resume Samples


Professional Resume Example


Statistics Canada Employment figures