The changing world economy is altering the types of jobs that will be available in Canada, and experts say people need to start planning how they expect to earn a living.
Dave Redekopp, owner of Edmonton career consulting firm Life-Role Development Group Ltd., says the relationship between employers and employees is shifting, and workers must prepare for what’s ahead.
He made his comments in an interview as part of November’s Canada Career Month, which this year is looking at the future of employment in the country.
Here’s an edited, condensed version of what Redekopp had to say.
Q: What is the new economy?
A: Getting a full-time job with all the benefits is becoming less prevalent. It can be fantastic for some people and nerve-racking for others, because in the gig economy you’re constantly looking for work.
Q: How are the types of jobs changing?
A: We’re seeing more and more fairly specialized knowledge work … and growth also at the entry level, where we have people who aren’t necessarily highly educated doing delivery, working in service.
In the middle, the ability to get a job with an undergraduate degree, it’s still there, but we can see it’s fading a little bit. You need to get more specialized — an undergraduate degree plus something.
Q: What happened to the middle?
A: We outsource manufacturing to places like China and India, and down to Mexico. All the work that was in the middle just ended up being able to be farmed out more cheaply elsewhere.
In that economy, the edge goes to who has the knowledge to decide what we should be manufacturing or what kind of software should be designed … To keep the oilsands viable, what can be automated will be automated.
Q: How long before the future arrives?
A: We have been working at this or seeing these things happen for at least two decades. I think in another decade everything I have told you will become old news.
Q: What should people do?
A: Figure out what’s interesting. Don’t start by chasing the economy. Start by looking inward and saying, ‘I know I need to contribute to the world and someone is going to pay me.
What’s the best way I can do that for me in terms of my values and (talents)?’
The provincial career site has the best information about jobs, training, salaries and trends.
Next, start to look outward to see what need could be filled (by your talents) … It’s really worth spending the time talking to people, reading as much as you can about what they do and getting a sense of what are the pathways to getting there.
If possible, get your hands dirty. See if you can follow them around for half a day or even an hour … If there’s a night course, take that and see what’s involved, but don’t quit your day job first.
http://edmontonjournal.com/business/local-business/plan-for-extra-training-in-the-work-world-of-the-future
Apr. 4, 2018 Job interviews:
Barista job interview: I did this job interview in Jan. 2018.
Pros:
1. It was Mon.- Fri. daytime.
2. The pay was min. wage with tips every 2 weeks.
3. I can do the job.
Cons:
They looked like they were wanting to hire someone with barista experience and knows how to work an espresso machine. I told her that I can learn it.
My opinion: I would work there if I got hired. I know it's a mediocre fit, but I will work there.
Chiropractic clinic: I passed my resume there in person.
Pros:
1. It was good hours like daytime, and the latest time to close is 7pm.
2. The pay is good.
3. I can do the job.
Cons: None.
My opinion: I would work there if I got hired.
Restaurant office job interview: I did this job interview in Feb. 2018. It this company that owns 5 restaurants and I will be working in the office.
Pros:
1. The hours are good Mon.- Fri. 9am-5pm.
2. They didn't tell me the pay, but I assume it would be above min. wage.
3. I can do the job of answering phones, data entry, draft letters.
Cons:
1. It seemed pretty hard. They did want someone who knows how to do Sage Accounting 50, and payroll.
There was supposed to be a second interview.
2. The other con was that I took the bus and then you have to walk a block to get to the office.
My opinion: I would work there if I got hired.
Apr. 6, 2018 Clothing store: I passed my resumes in person and later that day I got a call.
This was in Feb. 2018.
Pros:
1. It was in downtown.
2. The hours were daytime and part-time.
3. I can do the job.
Cons: None.
My opinion: I would work there if I got hired. I was an average fit for the job. I have worked at a clothing store for 5 months years ago.
They asked some easy questions:
What are you strengths?
Writing. I have lots of customer service experience by working in the restaurant industry.
What are your weaknesses?
Math.
What are you passionate about?
Writing.
What is your greatest achievement?
Graduating out of high school.
Apr. 11, 2018 Financial service job interview: I did this job interview in Feb. 2018.
Pros:
1. It was close by as in it was in downtown.
2. The hours were full-time.
3. The pay was $16.50/hr,
Cons:
1. It was very challenging. I can edit newsletters and I was to assist 3 advisors.
However, I see that I wasn't a total fit for it. I did my research about the company about how it's budgeting, personal insurance, disability, critical illness, estate planning.
I even emailed my brother this job after I did the interview because he is more of a fit.
My opinion: I know I wasn't going to get hired, or if I did get hired, I wouldn't last long.
The interview questions were good like:
What are your expectations of this organization?
There was even a more personal question that I felt like a therapist may ask:
What have you tried that didn't turn out well?
My answer was about trying to be a TV writer and producer for 5 yrs from 2008-2012. I pitched my TV script to every TV production company in Canada, tried to get a job at TV production companies, etc. and I didn't get my script produced.
I guess the point of the question is to see how I handle adversity and really get to know me.
Oil company job interview: I did this interview in Mar. 2018.
Pros:
1. It was 2 buses to get to, but it was easy to get to.
2. The hours were full-time.
3. Good pay of $17-19/hr. After 3 months, there are benefits.
4. I can do the job with the MS Word, Excel, switchboard, filing.
Cons:
1. They said it was open- concept office so it would be loud.
2. It seemed really hard with a lot of work. They said it was fast-paced with lots of paper.
My opinion: It seemed very hard. I don't think I would last long.
Home installation place #2 job interview: I worked at home installation place a few years ago. That's how I got this interview. The interview was close by to the first company I worked at.
Pros:
1. It was 2 buses to get to, but it was easy to get to.
2. The hours were full-time.
3. The pay was min. wage and no benefits. That's fine. The pay would be raised.
4. I can do the job with the booking appointments, answering phones and emails. It is very much like the first company.
Cons:
1. None.
My opinion: I would work there if I got hired.
My week:
Apr. 16, 2018 "TV Cop turns Advocate": Today I found this article by John Carucci in the Edmonton Journal. It was a short, but good article:
I Am Evidence Debuts Monday, HBO
Portraying a heroic sex crimes detective on television has provided Mariska Hargitay with a platform to help sexual assault victims in real life.
Hargitay, who stars as Det. Olivia Benson in the police procedural Law & Order: SVU, has turned her clout as an advocate for victims into the upcoming HBO documentary I Am Evidence, where she also serves as producer.
“I feel like I was given a gift with this role. I was given a platform,” Hargitay said.
“It was a way for me to respond. I’ve had the privilege of having had so many survivors share their stories with me, and I feel a responsibility to that.”
She admits backing the documentary was driven by her “own outrage” at the way the system treats victims of sexual assault. “People say, ‘Why did you make this movie?’ I said because I was really mad,” Hargitay said.
The film, which premières Monday on HBO, focuses on four survivors whose rape kits went untested for years. Part of the problem is that many U.S. states have no legislation that demands testing within a reasonable time. As a result, hundreds of thousands of kits are backlogged, with many never tested.
“I just couldn’t comprehend that in this country this was going on. That they were stockpiling rape kits,” Hargitay said.
The documentary also examines the victim blaming that some rape survivors encounter from law enforcement officers who aren’t properly trained.
Hargitay started the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004 as a means to help victims of sexual assault heal from their emotional trauma. She said sexual assault survivors have reached out to her through letters and emails. Over time, she realized that Benson serves as a role model for their unheard voices, and they want to make sure they are heard.
While the film deals with how rape victims are treated, Hargitay envisions a world where sexual assault never happens again. Hargitay feels fixing these problems are more basic than we realize.
“Compassion and empathy would heal so much, and it’s so simple. Women have carried this burden for so long, and it’s men that need to engage,” Hargitay said. “Everything we need to know we learned in kindergarten.”
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