The most recent Statistics Canada report indicates that Calgary’s unemployment rate is on the way down. Our unemployment rate fell from 7.1 per cent in August to 6.9 per cent in September. Are things finally starting to turn around?
AT BOWEN, We are noticing a slow and gradual improvements. As my colleague, Ken Vinge, Vice-President of Corporate Development, stated in an Oct. 10 Calgary Herald interview, “…in the last two weeks we’ve started to see an upswing in terms for requests for staff.”
Yet earlier this month, we were also hearing through the media that younger people, ages 15 - 24, were particularly hard-hit by the recession, and unemployment for this demographic was 12.8 per cent in September.
So what does this all mean? How do you make sense of it? The reality is that as the job markets pick up and different industries begin to hire, those individual with experience will likely have an easier time transitioning back into the workforce. Employers are able to choose from a broader base of experienced candidates so they will likely consider those who have the education, training and experience first.
That doesn’t mean that younger people won’t be hired. It’s just that trends show that in the shorter term, it takes this demographic longer to find work after a recession or downturn.
What do you do in the meantime? Volunteer. Keep networking. Keep looking. Experts say that recovery is on the way - it just takes time.
