Bea Bruske: Bank of Canada should pause rate hikes now to avert a manufactured recession
December 6, 2022
By Bea Bruske, as published in the Financial Post. Bank risks substantially weakening our economy, potentially throwing hundreds of thousands of Canadians out of work Facing a one-two punch of sky-high prices on daily essentials combined with rising credit card, mortgage and other bills, the last thing Canadians need right now is a recession, which could mean massive job losses…
Turn minimum wages into living wages and index to inflation
May 6, 2022
Bruske: StatCan numbers show markets aren’t delivering fair wages – governments must take action OTTAWA – With the cost of living still rising while wages lag far behind, today’s Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey shows that low unemployment numbers don’t mean workers are seeing positive changes to their paycheques. According to Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, there…
Canada’s unions: victory laps premature when it comes to jobs numbers
March 11, 2022
Bruske: Wages rising at less than the cost-of-living while workers in some sectors are being left behind OTTAWA – Today’s Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey shows that the overly-rosy picture some claim about the economic recovery doesn’t hold up on closer inspection. Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress points out that the reality facing many Canadian workers is…
Canadian Labour Congress’ President Bea Bruske available to react to labour force data
March 10, 2022
OTTAWA –Canada’s unions will be reacting to labour force data to be released by Statistics Canada tomorrow, Friday, March 11, 2022, and are urging analysts to look beyond the top-level numbers to see the full picture. “When you sift below the headlines and talk to people about the labour market, you see a different story about Canada’s economic recovery. There…
New job numbers show there’s work to be done on economic recovery
September 10, 2021
Anemic wage growth in Canada as some workers get left behind Canada’s unions are raising the alarm, warning that Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey shows signs that the economic recovery is uneven, wage growth for low-paid workers remains weak, and some groups are being left behind. “In the US, wages of lower-skilled workers have begun to rise, but wage growth…
Job numbers show pandemic’s hardest hit continue to struggle most
July 9, 2021
Canada’s unions are raising the alarm that hundreds of thousands of workers are facing cutbacks to pandemic supports, while the job market remains far from recovery. “Our biggest concern is those workers who are at risk of dropping out of the labour market altogether. “Many workers are just giving up because they can’t find work, or because a lack of…
Canada’s unions call for strong recovery measures as job losses rise
May 7, 2021
The number of Canadians without work for over a year has tripled during the pandemic. Canada’s unions are calling for swift government action to address rising unemployment evident in today’s latest job numbers. April’s Labour Force Survey released by Statistics Canada this morning shows that Canada’s economic recovery continues to be uneven, with youth, women and low-wage workers still struggling…
Latest job numbers encouraging but a lot rides on federal job investments
April 9, 2021
OTTAWA – Canada’s unions are calling on the federal government to create more than one million jobs in the upcoming budget, pointing to today’s job numbers as further evidence of the need for expanded investments. Statistics Canada released its latest Labour Force Survey today. It shows that more than 1.5 million unemployed and under-employed workers continue to struggle to find work,…
Latest job numbers point to need for urgent extension of EI benefits and job retraining
February 5, 2021
OTTAWA – Canada’s unions are urgently calling on the federal government to extend EI and recovery benefits along with increasing support for skills retraining as workers continue to struggle with rising unemployment. Following higher than expected job losses at the end of 2020, workers faced another large drop in employment, with 213,000 jobs lost last month. “We’ve lost the small…
End-of-year unemployment data shows need for continued support for workers
January 8, 2021
“Even as the vaccine roll-out begins, we can see that the tough times aren’t behind us yet,” said Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff. “The end-of-year unemployment data remind us that strong government support continues to be a vital lifeline for workers and their families who are struggling through the economic shock of the pandemic.” The December Labour Force Survey,…