Norine AwadAllah and Mitch Brown are accounting students who have permanent to go to when they graduate later this year, in keeping with the growth in Canada's services sector.
Photo Credit: CBC

Canadian job gains mostly part-time last year

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The Canadian Chamber of Commerce released its report on the labour market in 2013, and there some surprising findings.

First, was the news that the greatest gains in employment were among older Canadians.  Men and women over age 55 are either coming back into the work force from retirement, or joining it.  For some people it’s out of necessity, for others it’s an effort to occupy themselves and contribute, according to Tina Kremmidas, Chief Economist with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

The other disappointing finding was that 95 per cent of the jobs created in 2013 were part-time employment.  According to Kremmidas, this was due to uncertainty, particularly in the United States.

Skills that machines cannot replace

The good news is that the services sector, particularly professional scientific and technical services, saw robust growth last year and the sector continues to grow.  78 per cent of Canadians are now employed in this sector.

Tina Kremmidas advises young people to plan on working toward employment that computers or robots cannot replace, jobs where thinking and processes are necessary.

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