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| March 23, 2011 | Vol 8, Issue 3 |
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Greetings! |
The staggering loss of life and property from the earthquake in Japan defies our comprehension. Coupled with unrest in Libya and other areas in the MENA, these events have had a profound effect on the global economy.
These events have also had an immediate impact on global mobility as companies evacuate staff and assess long term business prospects in these affected regions.
As many readers will know Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders Canada (MSF) has long been CERC's charity of choice. MSF is one of many international organizations delivering humanitarian aid to these devastated and warn torn areas. Learn how you can support relief efforts.
Readers with staff overseas or preparing to send staff overseas may find this article preparing for an emergency evacuation worth sharing, regardless of destination.
In more positive news we are delighted to announce two of Canada's leading pundits on trends and change, Darrell Bricker and John Wright of Angus Research, will headline CERC's Conference - Link to the Future of Workforce Mobility - to be held September 25-27 Calgary Hyatt Hotel...in the words of this year's conference chair Rita Stel of Brookfield Global Relocation Services, "We aim to give people the tools to do things better, faster and smarter."
I hope you will make your plans to join us.
As always if you have ideas for magazine articles, presentations, webinars, new services or service improvements please write to us.
Best Regards,
Steve
Stephen Cryne, President & CEO
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Upcoming CERC Events
Central Region April 5th
Western Region May 19th
Save the Date! 5 Trends that will continue and 1 that will reverse! (watch for more details)
Webinars
April 7th
April 28
Annual Conference
September 25 - 27
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New immigration rules coming April 1 | |
Despite strong opposition from the business community, new rules covering the employment of Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) take effect April 1, 2011. Under the new rules TFWs will be limited to a four-year maximum employment period in Canada. At the end of the four year period the worker must cease work and must wait outside Canada for a period of four years before being eligible to apply to work in Canada.
Employers should have regard for these limits in their workforce and project planning. Other changes being introduced include
· a more rigorous assessment of the genuineness of the job offer;
· a two-year prohibition from hiring temporary foreign workers for employers who fail to meet their commitments to workers with respect to wages, working conditions and occupation
Read More
There are also new requirements and forms for the Labour Market Opinion (LMO). Effective March 25, 2011, the online labour market opinion (LMO) application system will be unavailable until a new secure online Web system is installed in June 2011. During this period, all employers can still submit LMO paper application forms by mail or fax
Read More
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Canada and Nova Scotia ink agreement on temporary workers |
A recently announced agreement between Canada and Nova Scotia gives that province a greater role in helping employers access the labour and skills they need, and will be able to recommend the entry of some temporary foreign workers without requiring an assessment of whether there are Canadians or permanent residents available to fill the vacant positions.
The agreement, an annex to the Agreement for Canada-Nova Scotia Cooperation on Immigration, provides a framework for closer co-operation between the two governments to better educate employers and potential workers about their rights and responsibilities.
Read More
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Canada-U.S. Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness | |
Canada and the US issued a shared vision for perimeter security and economic competitiveness in February 2011. One of the stated principles in that declaration was that "efforts should accelerate job creation and economic growth through trade facilitation at our borders and contribute directly to the economic security and well-being of both Canada and the United States."
The Canadian Government recently announced public consultations on innovative approaches to security and competitiveness. According to the announcement, "This consultation will inform the development of a joint Canada-United States action plan that will set out a range of initiatives in four key areas of cooperation to promote security and support trade and economic growth."
The public consultation period is scheduled to run from March 13 to April 21, 2011.
Read More about the Border Action Plan
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New regulator proposed for immigration consultants
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A notice has been published on the website of the Canada Gazette, proposing to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations so that the ICCRC (The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council) becomes the regulator of immigration consultants. The official Gazette publication will be available on March 19, 2011 and there is a 30 day period of public consultation.
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Manpower survey points to steady job market
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A recent survey of more than 1,900 Canadian employers reveals that 21 per cent plan to increase their payrolls in the second quarter of 2011, while five per cent anticipate cutbacks. Of those surveyed, 73 per cent of employers expect to maintain their current staffing levels and one per cent are unsure of their hiring intentions for the upcoming quarter.
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The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of resale homes fell 9.6 percent month over month to an annual rate of 4.88 million units, snapping three straight months of gains. The percentage decline was the largest since July.
The weak sales were the latest evidence of the malaise in the housing sector and confirmed it would remain outside the strengthening and broadening economic recovery.
Read More |
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Canada's housing market remains stable |
According to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), national resale housing activity in February 2011 ran close to the five-year average for the month, continuing a theme that has characterized the past four months.
The national average price for homes sold in February 2011 rose 8.8 per cent year-over-year to $365,192. "The average price has been skewed higher nationally and in British Columbia recently by a record number of multi-million dollar sales in a couple of areas in Greater Vancouver," said Gregory Klump, CREA's Chief Economist.
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Why cross-cultural training could be a waste of money | |
This article outlines steps you take in developing a long-term approach to becoming more effective across borders. According to the author you can "increase the return on investment you get from your training dollars by using it within a more holistic, sustainable plan."
Read more |
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UK Immigration laws changing | |
According to the UK's HR review, the UK government has announced that it will remove 8 occupations from the points-based system's shortage occupation list.
If an occupation is on the shortage occupation list, this means that there are not enough resident workers in the UK to do the available jobs in that occupation. When the 8 occupations are removed from the list, the number of jobs available to migrants under the list will be reduced from 500,000 to around 230,000.
Read More
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International Baccalaureate (IB) learners are encouraged to be creative | |
Research released recently by IBM (16th January) highlights that chief executives worldwide consider creativity to be the number one quality that leaders need to possess: more important than integrity, global thinking or influence. In addition to interviewing CEOs, the survey sampled students, who also ranked creativity among their top three leadership qualities. According to research in this article the IB delivers those qualities
Read More |
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Trapped on the technology treadmill | |
This article makes the case for turning off your email, diconnecting the internet and losing your mobile phone if you want to be more productive and effective during your work day.
Read more |
| CERC Careers |
Employers - post your positions or search resumes from registered prospective employees. Job Seekers- search positions (simply insert Relocation into the keyword search) and post your resume online at the CERC Career Centre.
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Help spread the word about CERC. Forward this E-News to a friend or colleague by clicking on the link above. We hope that you continue to enjoy receiving this electronic update. This monthly compilation of articles from wire services, newspapers, and other sources is intended to keep CERC members and visitors to cerc.ca informed of trends and news in mobility, HR developments and general business news from Canada and around the world. Facts have not been independently verified, and opinions expressed are those of the editor. Readers are invited to clarify, correct, or expand on these items. If you have an idea for a story, or would like to contribute an article, please send an email to info@cerc.ca. Canadian Employee Relocation Council (CERC)
180 Dundas Street West, Suite 1506
Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8 Tel: 416-593-9812 Toll Free: 1-866-357-CERC (2372) Fax: 416-593-1139 Leadership for Workforce Mobility |
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