2014 Economic Outlook

Canada's economy is flagging going into 2014 due to three main macro economic factors:

- The US is importing much less oil from Canada. In 2006 the US imported 10 million b/d and in 2014 will only import 6.6 million b/d. Canada does not have enough pipeline or take away capacity yet to sell our oil to other customers and make up the difference.
- Manufacturing is declining in Canada and moving to the US. Canadian merchandise exports have remained flat since 2011 despite the growth in consumerism in Canada and the US.
- Full time employment in Canada is flattening at around 14.45M, with a small increase in jobs in the private sector and a small decline in total jobs in the public sector

2014 demand outlook?

Top 3 requests for IT professionals remain Software Developers, Project Managers, and Business Analysts which account for 55% of all new requests

2014 Wage outlook

There are several 2014 wage and salary forecasts recently published. These are for all job categories combined and are used as a general indicator. The Mercer compensation report estimates the average raise in 2014 to be 2.8%. The Hay Group estimates and average increase in 2014 of 2.6%. The Conference Board of Canada estimates the average raise in 2014 to be 2.9% as organizations look to control costs and carefully allocate their compensation dollars. Salary increases in Alberta will be above the national average, BC at average, and Ontario slightly below average.

Wage increases are also client and industry specific. Financial services, energy and infrastructure companies highly weighted to gas prices, and public sector clients are largely holding wages flat to declining for 2014.

Some hot technologies for 2014 that might see rate increases above the average are mobile applications developers, and SharePoint developers, at an estimated increase of 8%. Data warehouse designers, network engineers, business intelligence analysts, and senior IT auditors may also see higher than average wage increases at 4%.

In summary, this is expected to be a relatively flat year in demand for IT professionals, and we look forward to a stronger economy in 2015.


You Might Be a Consultant if...

- You ask the waiter what the restaurant's core competencies are.

- You decide to reorganize your family into a "team-based organization."

- You believe you never have any problems in your life, just "issues" and "improvement opportunities."

- You refer to the first month of a new relationship as the "diagnostic period".

- You celebrate your wedding anniversary by conducting a performance review and you write a valentine card with summary bullet points.

- A two-page story in Business Week is all it takes to make you an expert.

and finally ...

- You end every argument by saying, "let's talk about this off-line."

Best regards,

Top Canadian CEOs make average worker’s salary in three hours of first working day of year. And they pay the same amount in taxes, before the end of the day...


Another day, another dollar? For Canada’s top executives, it’s more like another half-day, another $44,366.

That’s how much the average member of the 100 top-paid chief executives of companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange’s composite index was projected to earn by noon on Tuesday, the first working day of this year.

That’s according the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, which for the fifth straight year has measured how long it takes for Canada’s richest chief executives to make the average Canadian’s annual pay.

The think-tank based its report on data from 2010. Its previous report, based on numbers from 2009, showed the average CEO among Canada’s top 100 making the average person’s pay by 2:30 p.m. on the year’s first working day.

The latest report showed Canada’s top executives earned, on average, $8.4-million in 2010, including salary, bonuses, stock grants and options. That was up 27% from a year earlier. The average person, on the other hand, is actually earning less than during the 2008-09 recession, if inflation is taken into account, the centre said.

The report says those working minimum wage jobs on a full-time basis made an average of $19,798 in 2010....

Last month, December 2013, we lost 45,000 jobs. RIM, HEINZ, kellog, Fertilizers, et all... what next??!! Only good news was from CISCO...


link : http://business.financialpost.com/2012/01/03/top-canadian-ceos-make-average-workers-salary-in-three-hours/

I agree with you FH ..
Our CEO salary is 14 mil / yr besides other perks and stock options .
His lotto million is guaranteed month after month whereas people like us would be happy to win lotto million atleast once in a lifetime .

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Growing Old Is Mandatory ..Growing UP is Optional

Compared to US CEOs, Canadian CEOs earn much much less whereas Canadian CEOs pay more taxes than their counterparts in US. Mainly because CRA closed many tax loop holes. Also CEOs come under higher tax brackets so they contribute more to the country than average Joe. Minimum wage earner could put all of his income in his own pocket while enjoying government benefits for low incomes. Canadian CEOs on an average paid 40% in taxes.
So no point in blaming CEOs here in Canada.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/top-ceos-earn-big-salaries-but-pay-huge-tax-bills/article15978203/
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The study concludes a typical CEO in the S&P/TSX 60 index earned 133 times the average industrial wage in 2010, but paid 316 times the income tax of an average tax payer due to higher rates at higher income brackets
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I wonder if all these figure even have little bearing on day to day life of a commoner ? not so much until unless there is total collapse like in 2008 or 2001.
The job gain or loss is a very slow and highly subjective process. Depends what you do for living.
There are professions where there will be always a demand and there are other where there is always a struggle boom or no boom.
To me it makes not so much of sense counting on number of jobs lost or gained month to month. However, talking about sectors may make sense to people so that they update their skills accordingly and students select their majors as per demand.

and then there are thousands of doctors driving taxis though there is high demand of doctors.