National numbers may point to a recovery in the job market, but the recession lingers on, leaving many with lowered expectations and re-worked priorities.
In July, the Canadian employment market experienced its first gains since last October. Nationally, 74,300 jobs were created between June and July, Statistics Canada reports.
Despite the recent good news, the turnaround has been slow for many.
In Ottawa, the information technology sector has suffered a series of layoffs since last summer.
Paula Klein represents laid off Nortel workers on the board of Nortel Retirees and Former Employee Protection Canada.
She says she’s seeing signs of an improving job market, but isn’t getting too excited yet.
“The people that are finding jobs are finding a similar level of seniority,” she says. “But most are taking a pay cut.”
She says only half the people she represents have found new jobs.
“That’s a lot of unemployed people,” she says.
Pierre Lemasson, an employment counsellor with Rockhurst Careers Group, is cautious about the employment figures.
He says the successful job hunters are rethinking what really matters in a new position.
“It used to be about salary, but not anymore” Lemasson says of his clients’ priorities. “They are realistic now. They don’t expect as much money.”
Even with the month’s gains, the total number of employees is still 335,400 jobs behind the October 2008 peak in the past year.
Lemasson says the threat of layoffs lingers for many of his clients.
“This has meant mental health issues at work,” Lemasson says. “People are looking for a better condition.”
He says many people are willing to take a pay cut just to stay employed and keep up their skills.
“What matters now is meaning,” says Lemasson. “That they get up in the morning and they go into work and they want to feel it has meaning.”
The Statistics Canada numbers also show most of the job growth between June and July came in industries closely connected to the public sector.
From July 2008 to July 2009 the education and health sectors actually posted gains in its total number of employees going up to 5.4 per cent from 3.8 per cent.
While the overall job boost is a small increase in number of payrolls, it is the first increase since paid jobs began to decline last fall.