***** Canada Business News *****

[saki]

When it comes to bills, Canadians prefer a paper trail

OTTAWA — Online-savvy Canadians are comfortable with paying bills on the Internet, but they don't want to read financial statements on a computer — they like holding their bills in their hands.


"What seems like a very small, inconsequential document, turns out to be very critical for consumers and their financial management," said Joanne McNeish, a PhD student at the Sprott School of Business at Ottawa's Carleton University.


"It isn't just information that is discarded, it represents meaning and utility to consumers."


Her thesis, Paperless Society — Not Yet, examined responses from 850 Canadian online bill payers who are considered "innovative consumers."


More than 90 per cent of respondents still received paper statements, printed their statements of online payments and recorded confirmation numbers, she said.


McNeish chose to study the habits of Canadians because the highest level of online banking in the world is done in Canada, a 2008 comScore study showed. About 67.1 per cent of adult Canadians use online banking, compared to only 44.4 per cent of Americans and 41.7 per cent of Australians.


Now more than 12 million adult Canadians use online banking services, according to epost, a Canada Post service that allows consumers to view and pay bills online.


Paying bills online and the option to receive online statements appeared around 15 years ago, and although Canadians have adapted to making web payments, electronic statements have not increased in popularity, according to McNeish's study — which she says is the first to examine the paper bill and its significance.


Consumers want paper documents so they can keep records and they can decide how long they should retain statements, she said, because to most Canadians, paper statements are the only proof of relationship between a consumer and a company.


"Intuitively, consumers believe banks and organizations have the information but they won't share it with the consumer," she said.


Although respondents in the 18- to 24-age group typically didn't keep records, once bills increased at around 25 years of age, Canadians began documenting their financial transactions. The change is caused by negative encounters with financial organizations, with about 60 per cent of consumers facing at least one bill problem in the last year, McNeish said.


Consumers "anticipate" a disagreement or mistake with their bill payments so they retain records as valid evidence.


McNeish's focus groups also revealed the paper statement was more than information, it is "an object consumers interacted with" and need in order to be reminded to pay bills, a key point that businesses need to remember.


Companies have tried to convince Canadians to switch to online statements with incentives, such as giving away free prizes, and penalties including charging them for paper bills, but both tactics have been unsuccessful.


If Canadians stopped receiving paper bills, each household would save about 30 kilograms of paper a year, according to epost.


"Consumers judge companies less favourably if they disrupt the paper bills. If this piece of mail is part of a relationship with your customer, you have to decide what you want to do with it," McNeish said.


"Consumers have not yet seen a better system than the paper bill."


Source: http://www.canada.com/business/When+comes+bills+Canadians+prefer+paper+trail/3217410/story.html

 

[lakhvinder.kaur]

Excellent work saki.
+1 for u.

 

[saki]

Excellent work saki.
+1 for u.

Thanks for +1

 

[shibuya]

Good one Saki.

 

[rehanhaque]

Growing foreign-born population to forge 'new Canada'

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/life/Growing+foreign+born+population+forge+Canada/2666075/story.html

 

[saki]

Canadians' support for immigration not without limits: Poll

OTTAWA — Canadians overwhelmingly say immigration is good for the country, but they add a big qualifier: It should be kept at the current level of about 250,000 a year or even reduced.


Canadians' reservations about allowing more immigrants into Canada surfaced in a new national poll conducted by Nanos Research and released on the eve of Canada Day.


The poll said more than four in five respondents agreed immigration is "a key positive feature of Canada as a country." Only one in five, however, said they believed immigration should be increased.


Pollster Nik Nanos said the conflicting findings appear counterintuitive, but they make sense when considered against the reality that Canada is just emerging from a severe economic recession.


"In good times, with the economy growing, Canadians would likely be more supportive of bringing in as many immigrants as there are jobs to be filled," he said.


"In the present economic cycle, coming out of a severe recession, they are more supportive of the status quo. In other words, immigration is a good thing, but we don't want too much of a good thing."


The poll was published in Policy Options, the monthly magazine published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy.


The survey said that Canadians, for the most part, believe immigrants fit in well. Two of three respondents said they blend in, compared with about one-third who said they blend in very little or not at all.


Still, the survey says, Canadians have a high degree of sympathy for the difficulties faced by both immigrants and temporary foreign workers.


Almost 66 per cent agreed governments should provide more job and language support for immigrants, and seven in 10 of those surveyed said temporary foreign workers "should enjoy the same rights as other workers."


Canada accepts about 250,000 permanent residents each year. As well, in any given year there are 200,000 temporary foreign workers and international students, according to Immigration Department figures.


Nanos said he wasn't surprised at the level of empathy for foreign workers.


"A big part of Canada's self-image and identity has to do with fairness and respect, and so it's not surprising to me to see these types of numbers related to foreign workers," he said in an interview.


A strong majority — seven of 10 — also endorsed allowing Canadians to hold dual citizenship, the second poll out this week that says a solid majority of Canadians believe the government should continue to support a dual citizenship policy.


The Nanos poll, a random telephone survey of 1,008 people between May 29 and June 3, is considered accurate within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Source: http://www.canada.com/business/Canadians+support+immigration+without+limits+Poll/3222014/story.html

 

[saki]

Employers offer concessions as workplace demands escalate: Survey


OTTAWA — Most Canadian employers offer perks to help workers balance their professional and personal lives, though providing employees with the flexibility they seek doesn't always come easy, according to survey results released Wednesday.


A poll of 164 different organizations by human resources firm Hewitt Associates shows that most employers are offering things such as flexible work schedules, telecommuting, extra paid time off for personal reasons, education leave and job sharing.


Many workplaces also provide compressed workweeks, sabbaticals and paid time to do volunteer work.


Rochelle Morandini, a senior consultant in Hewitt Canada's organizational health practice, said employers are finding it tough to keep up with the demands from workers for more work-life balance.


"Work-life (issues) keep rising to the surface," she said. "Even with our best employers who have the highest engaged staff, work-life is always the piece that keeps sticking out.


"The issue itself seems to be growing more and more. I think employers are trying to address it . . . but I think some of them think their hands are tied."


Some of companies' perceived obstacles to meeting workers' requests, Morandini said, include having operations that require people to work at specific times of the day, and many are dealing with reduced staff levels after having cut back during the recent recession.


She said there are a number of factors behind increasing demands for more flexible work arrangements. Some of it, she said, comes from wider time demands from employers as the increasingly globalized economy becomes less subject to time zones, and devices like BlackBerrys allow work to follow people home.


As well, personal issues like having two parents working outside the home and longer commute times also create challenging conditions for individuals, she said.


The Hewitt survey showed a majority of the respondents' employees work more than 40 hours a week. It showed about one-third stick to a "regular full-time work week" of 35 to 40 hours. It was found that 45 per cent work one to five hours a week beyond that, 23 per cent put in an extra five to 10 hours, and one per cent work 10 to 15 additional hours.


Despite the measures offered by employers, the survey results suggest there is a limited amount of flexibility with regard to time and place for many Canadian workers.


For example, while 86 per cent of employers provide flexible work hours to all or some of their staff, 68 per cent require people to be at work for certain "core hours" of the day.


As well, 77 per cent of the survey respondents said they allow some workers to telecommute regularly — meaning to work from home via technology — but 90 per cent of those do so on a case-by-case basis with specific employees, rather than through a universally available policy.


Morandini said that while more standardization of flexible work policies could increase organizations' appeal to would-be employees, it's important to realize there are wide variances in what a particular company can offer.


She added that there's a significant range of differences in the kind of flexibility any given individual might need, and ideally, certain types of operations will attract suitably matched workers.


"You really need to know your population and what their needs are," Morandini said.

Source: http://www.canada.com/business/Employers+offer+concessions+workplace+demands+escalate/3221019/story.html

 

[saki]

Canadian economy stalls in April: StatsCan

OTTAWA — Canada's economic recovery, which appeared so strong in the earlier part of this year, seems to have hit a rough patch.


Canada's gross domestic product was unchanged in April from the month before, Statistics Canada said Wednesday. That compared to a 0.6 per cent expansion of gross domestic product reported for March. Economists were expecting 0.2 per cent growth in GDPfor April.


It marked the first month in eight the Canadian economy has not expanded. It also comes on the heels of 6.1 per cent annualized growth in the first quarter of this year, which was strongest rate of expansion in more than a decade.


Statistics Canada said there was a "large decline" in the retail sector in April, and lesser contractions in manufacturing and utilities, which were offset by gains in mining, wholesale, the public sector and construction.


In its Wednesday report, Statistics Canada said retail trade was down 1.7 per cent in April, as demand dropped sharply for items such as automobiles and clothing.


Manufacturing output fell 0.3 per cent in April, the federal agency said, the first decline since August of last year. Non-durable goods, such as pharmaceuticals and food, were cited as the main cause of the lagging factory figures. Durable-goods manufacturing industries, such as machinery, vehicles and automotive parts, saw increased activity.


Oil-and-gas extraction output was up 0.5 per cent in April and potash mining also saw gains, though output in mining sectors such as gold, silver and diamonds declined.


These GDPnumbers are just the latest bit of news indicative of an economic recovery that's slowing down. Tuesday was the worst day on the Canadian stock market so far this year, following a downgrade of previously reported economic leading indicators for China, and declines in consumer confidence measures for both Canada and the United States.


The Toronto Stock Exchange saw gains on Wednesday for the first time this week.


Economists, however, were not sounding the alarm bell in the wake of the Canadian economy's lack of growth in April.


"Overall, while this was a weak report, we expect Canadian economic activity to bounce back in the coming months as the combination of the strong momentum in labour-market activity and supportive monetary and fiscal polices continue to provide a favourable tailwind for Canadian consumer spending," said Millan Mulraine, senior strategist with TD Securities.


Dawn Desjardins, assistant chief economist with RBC Economics, said she expects GDPgrowth to resume in Canada in May and June. Despite the April figures showing "a mixed bag of activity," she said it "confirms that the domestic economy has recovered."


But that's not to say it's all smooth sailing ahead.


Warren Jestin, chief economist of Scotia Economics, said that while "the dreaded double-dip" recession many fear is unlikely to occur, economic growth in Canada and elsewhere is "at risk of slowing materially" in 2011 as governments start to focus more on cutting deficits than stimulating their economies.


And while many are worried about the global effects from a slowdown in China's economic expansion, a CIBC World Markets report on Wednesday said fiscal-restraint measures of governments in the West will play a bigger role in curtailing growth next year than anything in China.


Economic confidence could suffer another blow on Friday when June job numbers are released for the United States. Economists expect more than 100,000 positions to have been lost, which would be the first monthly decline so far this year.

Source: http://www.canada.com/business/Canadian+economy+stalls+April+StatsCan/3220063/story.html

 

[Chander]

Saki +1 for u.

 

[saki]

Saki +1 for u.

Thanks Chander you are a champ!

Cheers
Saki

 

[Munnimehek]

gr8t work!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[saki]

Toronto's commuter traffic ranks among world's worst: Survey

TORONTO — There's nothing Torontonians like to do more than gripe about their commute. And now, a new survey proves that all that dissatisfaction with the trip to work is justified.

Canada's largest city placed second this week on a worldwide "commuter pain" survey, with Johannesburg ranking as the only city with a more painful commute.

The survey, which was conducted by IBM, asked drivers in 20 major cities — including Toronto and Montreal — about the physical and emotional toll of traffic congestion.

Forty-three per cent of Toronto's commuters reported that traffic congestion has contributed to their stress and anger.

Moscow and Toronto tied for second place among those who say traffic has worsened in the past three years. Only Johannesburg scored higher.

Worldwide, 49 per cent of commuters felt the quality of their commute had declined. Only five per cent saying their daily drive had improved. Thirty-one per cent of commuters experienced traffic so frustrating they turned back.

In Toronto, nearly one in four of local respondents (24 per cent) said traffic had caused them to cancel or delay an outing in the past month, compared to 31 per cent globally. Of those drivers, 30 per cent cancelled shopping trips; 20 per cent put off recreation and 19 per cent postponed some sort of entertainment.

The results demonstrate how excessive traffic can negatively affect the economy. In 2005, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development released a study of Toronto that found $3.3-billion of productivity is lost to traffic each year.

IBM compiled the results of the survey into an index ranking the emotional and economic toll of commuting in each city. Stockholm boasts the easiest commute among the cities studied, followed by Melbourne, Houston and New York City.

Only 18 per cent of drivers in Stockholm reported that traffic negatively impacted their performance at school or work.

Montreal also ranked near the bottom of IBM's list, with commuters there reporting among the least stressful commutes in the world.

Interestingly, 48 per cent of the motorists surveyed in Beijing reported an improvement in traffic over the past three years. Fully 95 per cent of those drivers, however, still say traffic negatively affects their health.

The survey heard from 8,192 motorists in 20 cities on five continents.


Source: http://www.canada.com/news/national/Toronto+commuter+traffic+ranks+among+world+worst+Survey/3221224/story.html

 

[saki]

Skilled immigrant-worker need to skyrocket by 2020, study says.


VICTORIA - Robert Cui was happily shocked last July. After two years of scraping by in Victoria, two years of weighing the value of going to a meeting or ponying up $2.25 for bus fare, the single father from northern China was a security check away from a post with the Department of National Defence.

"I just couldn't believe it. I didn't believe I could get anything from the federal government," Cui said, pointing to eight fruitless interviews with provincial departments.

The elation was short-lived. Not yet a Canadian citizen, Cui was not eligible for the job.

Cui was crushed but took the bad news in stride.

"Sometimes it's just about how to accept reality."

Cui's disappointment is common among recent immigrants. But a looming labour shortage and dwindling numbers of skilled workers immigrating to B.C. mean the province will be forced to share in his troubles.

In the next decade, B.C. will depend on immigrants to fill about one in three job openings, according to the recently released British Columbia Labour Market Outlook: 2009-2019. At the same time, the number of skilled workers immigrating to the province appears to have hit a 15-year low.

About 15,100 skilled workers settled in the province last year, based on B.C. Stats numbers and provincial government targets. It's the lowest total since 1994.

These numbers include federal skilled worker program immigrants - 12,081 for 2009 - and provincial nominee program numbers - a target of 3,000 for fiscal 2009-10 - as well as actual numbers for a mix of previous fiscal and calendar years.

The problem has not gone unnoticed in the provincial government.

"Immigration is the key to future economic growth in B.C.," Moira Stilwell, the minister in charge of labour market development said by e-mail. "Even though the economy has slowed down, skilled labour shortages remain."

Until a decade ago, engineers, accountants and other immigrants selected for their skills arrived under the federal skilled worker program. Since then, the B.C. government has expanded its provincial nominee program, which fast-tracks applications for people with skills in short supply locally.

The program took in 2,500 skilled workers in 2008, with about 3,000 expected during the last fiscal year and more than twice that number hoped for by 2012.

During the same time, though, the federal program has dwindled, delivering half the number of skilled immigrants to the province last year as it did at its peak, more than a decade ago.

To some extent, the program is a victim of its own success - attracting a glut of immigrants that settlement services were ill-prepared to absorb.

Annie Shum, a counsellor with the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre, said the problems of credential recognition, language barriers and a lack of North American experience continue to plague her customers.

Shum heads up the centre's Skills Connect program, a provincial initiative that supports skilled immigrants hunting for work. She said that the challenges immigrants face are often hard to predict.

"I know of one client who is an engineer. She comes from a country where they're at war right now so it's impossible to get her credentials from the university," said Shum.

Stilwell said some studies place the outflow of immigrants to other provinces and countries at as high as one in three, though B.C. gains more immigrants from other provinces than it loses.

"Regardless of the actual figures, the loss of immigrants . . . is a matter of concern to B.C. as it represents not just a loss of human capital to the province, but a missed opportunity for both the province and the immigrant."

For Cui, the pressures of migration took a personal toll. The loneliness and relative poverty that accompanied the move to Canada strained his marriage to the breaking point. His wife returned home two years ago, leaving Cui with his son Bob, now six years old.

He said he doesn't fault Bob's mother. He said he accepted her choice and has moved forward.

Last week, he found work at a large electronics manufacturer, Schneider Electric in Saanich, which produces sensors for power systems. More secure than he's been in a long time, Cui said he never doubted his choice to migrate.

"Whatever happens, I got my son here," he said.

"I win."

Source: http://www.canada.com/business/Skilled+immigrant+worker+need+skyrocket+2020+study+says/3192210/story.html

 

[jnathan]

Just the heading and the link would be fine Saki !
To save Database space, telling you from an IT scientist's point of view.

 

[murtazaabbasi]

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