And there it is,but I am sure it doesn't suprise anyone.
Beware politicians spewing up-beat rhetoric about how things are improving.
Hopefully,better days are coming..and sooner than later!
Hang in there!

I am starting to see hiring signs in windows. Jobs must be slowly comming

Are all these people looking for work? When you see these signs and hear that many places do not have enough workers?

There shouldn't be any "help wanted" signs needed for workers, they should have stacks of applications/resumes by now.
Yes they are typically lower paying jobs, but should we expect to have high paying jobs when most things we produce aren't worth near what they were?

It will probably be several years before our economy improves, to anywhere near what it was, and even then wage rates are likely to be lower on average.
If prices for our commodoties and services does not improve there is likely no way we can expect the wage rates we had.

IMO the only reason that Canada's businesses were able to pay the wages it did was because of the low value of the Canadian dollar in the 65-75 cent range.

The world's oil barons have a chokehold on the world's economy...sucking up every available cent that businesses and people can earn. The faster the economy moves the higher the price of energy and our dollar goes up..our non oil economy goes into a tailspin and Canadians with their resource based economy pay more than anyone else for this game.

There are a very large number of unempolyed people out there that will not work for anything less then $20 an hour. Students are graduating from college and university and think that makes them worth $30 an hour.

There are still a lot of places in town that were never able to fill all of their vacant positions and have been paying their existing employees overtime to make up for the shortages.

Those jobs won't be filled until the EI runs out and people are really getting desperate

It is a world economy in which or new
trading partners make $.60 an hour so
we are going to have to change our life
styles and back up a little. The same old same old has to many flaws. We still live
in the best country in the world employed or unemployed.

I think a few things are going to change out there in the next twenty years. If it turns bad, we are going to live in two different worlds, where the third world countries will have nothing. The G=8 or G20 is going to have all the trading.

So we talk about the third world countries. Obviously we are in the first world. Who the heck is the second world.

The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned or neutral with either capitalism and NATO (which along with its allies represented the First World) or communism and the Soviet Union (which along with its allies represented the Second World).

First world is us, capitalist democracy
second world is them, communist totalitarian
third world, not even in the game

"There are a very large number of unempolyed people out there that will not work for anything less then $20 an hour. Students are graduating from college and university and think that makes them worth $30 an hour. There are still a lot of places in town that were never able to fill all of their vacant positions and have been paying their existing employees overtime to make up for the shortages. Those jobs won't be filled until the EI runs out and people are really getting desperate"

I think your post is bang on StreetWise2. People just entering the workforce need to realize that 60K right out of school probably isn't hapenning unless you have a very sought after skillset. On the flipside, people need to realize that the days of making 50-60K without having some level of education or a trade are over.

Further Downsizing Plans at TELUS

The Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) was recently advised by TELUS of its plans to further contract out initiatives and offer separation packages to employees across several departments within the company.
The TWU is disappointed that TELUS continues to downsize good Canadian jobs in Canadian communities, said George Doubt, TWU National President. While TELUS asserts that many of these initiatives are the result of a decline in business, the TWU knows that TELUS continues to expand its overseas operations.

Thanks Loki. Never knew that!

Join the rcmp. You will be making 75 K base salary in 4 yrs. You can bitch about them all you want but a more secure job out there you won't find.

Imorge. Secure where??? Whitehorse, Pr Rupert, Mcbride, Ft St John, Ft St James???

Not to many RCMP jobs available in Prnce George.

"Imorge. Secure where??? Whitehorse, Pr Rupert, Mcbride, Ft St John, Ft St James??? Not to many RCMP jobs available in Prnce George"

Better to make 75K somewhere in Canada than 20K in PG wouldn't you think?

The other side of the coin shows me that people makeing 20 bucks an hour can't afford to buy a home. Now I'm getting older and decide to sell out and move to warmer climes but everyone in the work force mskes less than bucks an hour. The other part of the work force doesn't need or want my house because they are a bit older and have a home all paid for. Why would anyone want to stay in a city where the wages won't let them rise out of poverty and the city wants to tax us into poverty. Lets build an empty civic centre and an empty art gallery, maybe throw in an empty bingo hall and parking lot; an empty performing arts centre will be next. The only thing full is the homeless shelters and the casino. Pretty sad state looking forward. I'm hoping the class action in New Brunswick against government casinos is a win and maybe something equivalent will begin here. What the casinos and govt are doing to the people is undoubtedly criminal

"The other side of the coin shows me that people makeing 20 bucks an hour can't afford to buy a home"

So then maybe they'll have to rent or save some money and buy a house once their situation improves. Isn't this what hundreds of thousands of other Canadians living in other cities across the country do?