A post-pandemic job fair: $1,000 signing bonuses, but workers have their own priorities
If you’re looking for a job in Quebec, you’re in luck. You can probably work in almost any sector you choose, if you’re willing to get trained.
A job fair opened today at the Palais des Congrès and highlighted the pressing labour shortage in the province, and the lengths employers will go to to hire -- as well as workers' new priorities, with salary not at the top of the list.
Nine thousand positions were on offer by 200 companies, everything from building earth-friendly coffins in Victoriaville to working at a gym or a wireless company or a hotel.
Many employers were optimistic.
“We’re in fitness, and after the pandemic, I think everyone wants to work in the industry,” said Joseph Raad, who was at the fair representing World Gym.
But the reality is that a lot has changed in the last two years, and it’s still anyone's guess what trends will show up among workers, many of whom are returning to the job market after spending the pandemic away, whether at school, on benefits, taking care of family or some combination.
It isn’t only employers reconnecting in big numbers. Job-seekers also lined up, declaring themselves happy with the amount of choice and saying they wanted to be picky about a few things.
“I would like to have insurance,” said Darlene Clement, who has worked in the health sector and said she wants to return there. “Salary is important, but some kind of medical insurance.”
More white-collar jobs were also available, attracting high-level engineering grads.
Exhibitors did a survey, revealing that most candidates seem to be asking about work-life balance.
“The salary, the money, is not the first choice for choosing a company,” said Eric Boutie, the president of Événement Carrières.
“They would like to have a company with a good quality of life, opportunies, friends. Very different from the old generation.”
It was clear it was not the job market anyone was used to: employers offered $1,000 signing bonuses, cash incentives for referring friends, flexible hours and work-from-home arrangements.
The important thing these days is finding motivated people, explained Tania Sarkissian, a regional director for OSL customer service firm.
“We want people that are passionate, that love sales, that are motivated by obtaining targets and making money and serving customers and giving them a great experience,” she said.
The job fair continues in person on Friday and then, true to 2021, goes online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.