'Young people these days ...'

[Wilber]

That seems like a philosophical problem more than a practical one, or maybe just a problem with identity. Some might take your argument further and say we're not 'producing' things if we're not extracting natural resources too. Economies don't need those things: look at Hong Kong and Singapore. Services are part of the economy just as manufacturing and resources are.I thought for a second you were echoing the fixed pie fallacy, but you're not - you correctly indicate that they have to be paying for Canadian goods and services.http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/2013-55-e.htm"Over the 2007 to 2012 period, the value of Canadas exports to China grew at an average annual rate of 15.3%, compared to 0.2% worldwide. The value of Canadas exports to China as a share of the value of Canadas total exports grew from 2.1% in 2007 to 4.3% in 2012."

Canada's exports to China may be increasing but the largest segment of those exports is resources and we had a $28B trade deficit with China this year. That's not necessarily bad as long as we are making up for it with surpluses with other countries.

Edited December 13, 2014 by Wilber

[overthere]

Taxis cost a lot of money, and are also inconvenient.

corpses of people strewn around the street are also inconvenient.

Take a cab, Grandpa. It's not always about you.

[Wilber]

The military does this with professionals like engineers and doctors, but of course the worker is then required to lock into their military service for at least an equal number of years and be subject to all the usual military strictures and benefits..

You'd have no problem with mandatory longterm contracts at non negotiable rates of pay and the possibility of mandatory transfers for all skilled workers- for all employers?? That is an interesting proposition, comrade.

It would have to be a two way commitment. That's what contracts are. Your prospects would have to decide for themselves whether the conditions were acceptable. Maybe they could get a better offer from someone else. Maybe they would decide to go it on their own.

[overthere]

It would have to be a two way commitment. That's what contracts are. Your prospects would have to decide for themselves whether the conditions were acceptable. Maybe they could get a better offer from someone else. Maybe they would decide to go it on their own.

'Your prospects' already did that with their liberal arts degrees , and now they are serving lattes instead of repaying their debt to society.

If I was a corporation, why should I trust them not to steal my money too? They already screwed taxpayers out of a bundle since their uni education in Canada was highly subisidized.

[Wilber]

'Your prospects' already did that with their liberal arts degrees , and now they are serving lattes instead of repaying their debt to society.

If I was a corporation, why should I trust them not to steal my money too? They already screwed taxpayers out of a bundle since their uni education in Canada was highly subisidized.

Why would you recruit people taking degrees you don't want?

[overthere]

Why would you recruit people taking degrees you don't want?

I don't know. It was your idea to begin with.

[Wilber]

I don't know. It was your idea to begin with.

No it wasn't.

[GostHacked]

Here's an example of a new internet-based business that has popped up:

http://www.amazon.ca/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=alex+and+ani+bangles&tag=googcana-20&index=aps&hvadid=37951941786&hvpos=2t3&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=720676602862639075&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_6t4fwtfwxg_b

Alex & Ani makes bangles and braces and sells them on the internet.

Its nothing new. Consider it mail order business. Like when someone orders our of a magazine ad or the like. It's just moved to a different medium to use as a selling vehicle. Anyone can do it if they make pretty trinkets.

[Michael Hardner]

Its nothing new. Consider it mail order business. Like when someone orders our of a magazine ad or the like. It's just moved to a different medium to use as a selling vehicle. Anyone can do it if they make pretty trinkets.

$1B though ?

[WestCoastRunner]

$1B though ?

$1B is quite remarkable. Takes A LOT of visitors to the website to generate that amount of income. It's not just about making pretty trinkets. It's all about SEO and keeping the visitors on the site to make that purchase.

[Michael Hardner]

$1B is quite remarkable. Takes A LOT of visitors to the website to generate that amount of income. It's not just about making pretty trinkets. It's all about SEO and keeping the visitors on the site to make that purchase.

It's something called 'moxie'.

[jacee]

It's possible that employers can't find the 'soft skills' and loyalty they want because the people who have that drive don't want to work for someone else. They're the generation who watched their parents suffer through 'downsizing'.

generation-y-the-most-entrepreneurial-generation-ever-looks-for-funding/

Growing up, I always had the mindset that I would never work for anybody, Mr. Unger says.

Generation Y may be the most entrepreneurial generation on the planet.

Edited December 17, 2014 by jacee

[-1=e^ipi]

As one of these basement dwelling millenials, I think there are too many generalizations in this thread.