Canadian Wages Plummet

[cybercoma]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2011/11/24/statscan-wages.html

"The composition of jobs is getting worse, namely you have more jobs in low-paying jobs," [benjamin Tal] explained.

"There's clearly a movement from high-paying professionals, public sector and construction jobs to low-paying service and retail. Even within manufacturing, there's a movement from high-paying manufacturing jobs to lower-paying."

On the back of unemployment increasing, StatsCan drops this bomb. Harper's steering the ship alright. Right into an iceberg.

[olp1fan]

Harper's next obsession ; The dismantling of Stats Canada

[eyeball]

Harper's next obsession ; The dismantling of Stats Canada

Except for the department responsible for tracking unreported crime.

[fellowtraveller]

Stats Canada makes pretty good coin by selling demographic info to anybody who pays.

I don't think they'll be selling the corporation.

You could cream a couple billion out of Health Canada though and almost nobody would notice.

[cybercoma]

This must be what they mean by "trickle down" economics. People's wages and the standard of living goes down for everyone but the top 1%.

[Shakeyhands]

I've been saying it here for a while, it's the systematic destruction of the middle class. Sad really.

[Smallc]

So does this mean that you've been ignoring everything going on in the rest of the world?

When the world is falling apart, you can't expect to create many high paying jobs...oh, and the article headline, and opening explanation (making the annual inflation rate appear in the same context as the monthly wage decrease) are very misleading.

[olp1fan]

So does this mean that you've been ignoring everything going on in the rest of the world?

When the world is falling apart, you can't expect to create many high paying jobs...oh, and the article headline, and opening explanation (making the annual inflation rate appear in the same context as the monthly wage decrease) are very misleading.

Harper promised during the election to right the ship

we're holding him to it

[dre]

So does this mean that you've been ignoring everything going on in the rest of the world?

When the world is falling apart, you can't expect to create many high paying jobs...oh, and the article headline, and opening explanation (making the annual inflation rate appear in the same context as the monthly wage decrease) are very misleading.

It would be misleading NOT to consider inflation. Inflation = wage reduction. Period.

[Smallc]

It would be misleading NOT to consider inflation. Inflation = wage reduction. Period.

That' right, but it doesn't make sense to quote the inflation rate for the year right next to a monthly job number...unless I misunderstood and that was a yearly job number, in which case, things look less bad, and I'll shut up about that particular point.

[Smallc]

Harper promised during the election to right the ship

we're holding him to it

The ship that is Canada is doing extraordinarily well considering the condition of most of the Western World.

[dre]

The ship that is Canada is doing extraordinarily well considering the condition of most of the Western World.

Sure. Even backwards islamic theorcracies can do ok if they happen to be living on top of a massive treasure trove of natural resources.

[Smallc]

Sure. Even backwards islamic theorcracies can do ok if they happen to be living on top of a massive treasure trove of natural resources.

I'm not saying that we did anything to be this way (but we did - it isn't all about oil), but you can't ignore the circumstances of the world and take wage declines out of context.

[Moonbox]

I'm not saying that we did anything to be this way (but we did - it isn't all about oil), but you can't ignore the circumstances of the world and take wage declines out of context.

smallc this was going on long before the recession hit. The middle class was making less in 2007 on average than they were in 1987 and, if I recall correctly, that wasn't even inflation-adjusted. It's enough to make you want to puke.

The fact that the rich in Canada have continued to get richer, and that the poor are poorer (thus requiring more in the form of social servicing) leads us to a middle class getting squeezed on both ends. Things are not peachy in Canada for the average Canadian, although at least our banks didn't collapse.

[Smallc]

Actually, I don't recall seeing any statistics that show what you're claiming. As far as I know, the middle class, adjusted for inflation, had made minuscule gains, but had lost no ground.

[TimG]

The problem is there is too much labour in the world and the government can't do anything about it.

This means wages scales are headed down.

This has nothing to do with taxation policy.

Raising taxes on the rich won't create jobs with above market wages.

[dre]

Actually, I don't recall seeing any statistics that show what you're claiming. As far as I know, the middle class, adjusted for inflation, had made minuscule gains, but had lost no ground.

The problem is how we measure inflation is a little arbitrary. If Energy, food, and shelter were the only things in the basket of goods and services used to calculate the CPI, then inflation is at about 8% or more, and wages are falling pretty rapidly.

Thats why people feel squeezed. Their wages in terms of absolute dollars have not gone down, and the government tells them theres only 2.x% inflation. The problem is that entirely depends on what you buy. If all you can afford is food, shelter, and energy then really your inflation is killing you and your wages are dropping very quickly. If you make enough so that a lot of your spending is on non durables then its not so bad.

[Smallc]

Yes, that's true, I suppose. It isn't true for me, or others in my family, but I can see where that would we a problem.

[Battletoads]

Welcome to Harperland, enjoy your stay.

[dre]

Welcome to Harperland, enjoy your stay.

Hah! You cant just hang this on Harper. This is the "service based economy" we have all hard so much great stuff about over the last 20 years. Its way beyond what any single politician is doing or has done.

[olp1fan]

Hah! You cant just hang this on Harper. This is the "service based economy" we have all hard so much great stuff about over the last 20 years. Its way beyond what any single politician is doing or has done.

Harper brags 24/7 about the economy, if it goes south hes the guy whos gonna get turfed

if you take credit for good news you take credit for the bad news

[Battletoads]

Hah! You cant just hang this on Harper. This is the "service based economy" we have all hard so much great stuff about over the last 20 years. Its way beyond what any single politician is doing or has done.

Perhaps the Cons would garner less blame if they tried to do something to help the economy, rather than pushing ideological bullshit through parliament.

[Wilber]

Perhaps the Cons would garner less blame if they tried to do something to help the economy, rather than pushing ideological bullshit through parliament.

Like what? It doesn't matter what they do for the economy for those who only want to concentrate on "ideological bullshit".

[olp1fan]

Like what? It doesn't matter what they do for the economy for those who only want to concentrate on "ideological bullshit".

I don't think billions on prisons will help economy.. more people in prison for marijuana = more tax payers pay

this will put the burden on the provinces more than the feds

hope quebec ontario refuse to pay it

[Wilber]

I don't think billions on prisons will help economy.. more people in prison for marijuana = more tax payers pay

this will put the burden on the provinces more than the feds

hope quebec ontario refuse to pay it

Building and running prisons provide good paying jobs. They also require many other businesses to service and maintain them. Besides, it hasn't been done yet so so any connection to the present job situation is just ideological bullshit.