What's New

ADVENTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Actyl Group — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 05:00:00 GMT

As International Workers continue to play a key role in Western Canada’s growth and success, Actyl Group takes a proactive measure to identify and pursue potential recruitment opportunities through a firsthand experience.
Join us on an adventure to the Philippines and learn how you can expand your employment options. Discover the strength, personality and character of International Workers from the Philippines with the Actyl Group professionals.
More information both below and at: http://www.actyl.com/philippines-tour
To register go to: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2129875515
As the world’s second-largest archipelago, the coral-fringed islands of the Philippines rise out of a vast expanse of the western Pacific.
Enjoy first-hand the hospitality Filipino’s are known world-wide for as you wander the cities and the dramatic country side.
Stay at the Edsa Shangri-La: set in lush tropical gardens with the feel of a deluxe resort, Edsa Shangri-La Manila is a luxury hotel that combines attentive service with exceptional facilities in the centre of Ortigas Centre’s businesses and shopping areas.
This Manila hotel is home to a fine range of comfortable rooms and suites that offer delightful views of the city and the hotel’s tropical garden.
Often called the “Queen City of the South” and the Seat of Christianity in the Philippines, Cebu is the country’s oldest city. Exploring Cebu City, one encounters a rich historic past.
Cebuanos are extremely proud of their cultural and historical heritage. From Zubu, the busy trading port in 1521, it has evolved into a highly urbanized metropolitan center which now serves as focal point of growth and development in Southern Philippines.
Stay at the Crimson: Synonymous with luxury and personalized service, Crimson Beach Resort and Spa is the new destination and resort to experience. Nestled in one of the country’s most prestigious tourist destinations, this exclusive piece of paradise is just 15 minutes away from the Mactan International Airport.
This 290-key deluxe beach resort oasis in the island of Mactan is managed and operated by Filarchipelago Hospitality, Inc., a joint venture of Filinvest Development Corporation and Archipelago International Pte, Ltd. a hospitality management group registered in Singapore.
The sprawling 6 hectare resort features world-class accommodations with amenities and facilities carefully detailed to achieve both comfort and style. There are 250 suites and rooms, forty villas with thirty eight plunge pools.
It is also home to the 2000-square meter spa called Aum, the distinctive Grand Coral Ballroom and four uniquely designed food and beverage outlets.
Connect with Actyl Group and discover firsthand what International Workers from the Philippines have to offer!
Actyl Group works with you and our partners worldwide to match the right skills to your company. For the itinerary, cost and more information on our Philippines tour, visit
http://www.actyl.com/philippines-tour
Make the right move with one of the most professional International Recruitment Agencies in Canada. Actyl Group provides the direction and support to help you discover the opportunity of a lifetime!

HIGHEST SEPTEMBER EMPLOYMENT NUMBERS EVER

Actyl Group — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 05:00:00 GMT

With record population, Saskatchewan reached an employment record for the month of September. There were 528,100 people working in Saskatchewan in September 2010, an increase of 6,300 over the same month last year. "Last month Saskatchewan set an all-time population record," Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration Minister Rob Norris said. "This month we set an all-time record for employment in the month of September. Those people are coming to Saskatchewan because they are confident in our economy and that prospects here are very good."
Norris said that Aboriginal employment continued its recovery with a September increase of 1,400 - the fifth consecutive month of increases.
At 5.5 per cent, Saskatchewan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is the second lowest in Canada, behind Manitoba, 5.4 per cent, and well below the national rate of 8.0 per cent.
Regina, 4.8 per cent, and Saskatoon, 5.5 per cent, continue to fare well among major Canadian cities, with the second and fourth lowest unemployment rates in the country. Regina continues to help fuel job growth in Saskatchewan, with a year-over-year increase of 8,200.
Norris also noted another strong contribution to employment growth made by 3,300 new jobs in Saskatchewan's private sector and 4,400 new entrepreneurs which accounted for 7,700 jobs.
"We know that we are not immune from what is going on around us, as Canadian and U.S. employment figures remain mixed," Norris said. "That said, we remain in an advantageous position. Our 19 Can-Sask Career and Employment Centres are available across the province to help people move into jobs, as there are more than 7,200 jobs available on saskjobs.ca right now."
-30-
For more information, contact:
Christopher Jones-Bonk
Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration
Regina
Phone: 306-798-3106
Email: chris.jones-bonk@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-531-4904

Strong Job Growth in Canada and USA

Actyl Group — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 05:00:00 GMT

The Canadian economy cranked out a surprisingly strong 61,000 new jobs last month, Statistics Canada reported Friday, pushing down the unemployment rate. But the good news did not extend to sectors such as finance, which saw heavy job losses.
The agency said there was also a 35,600 job increase for professional and scientific services. Other job gains were seen in the accommodation and food services industry, natural resources, and public administration industries.
That pushed the unemployment rate down 0.2 of a point to 7.1 per cent, the lowest level since December 2008.
However, job gains were offset by the loss of 35,300 jobs in the finance, insurance, real estate and leasing industries. There were also declines in manufacturing; and the culture and recreation industries last month.
The economy's strong showing took a number of economists aback, since many had been expecting a gain of just 15,000 jobs, according to Bloomberg News surveys.
The news was even sunnier south of the border, where the U.S. Labor Department reported a gain of 103,000 jobs – well above economists' expectations of just 55,000 jobs. But it wasn't enough to budge the U.S. unemployment rate, which remains unchanged from August, at 9.1 per cent.
Markets reacted enthusiastically to the reports at first, with the loonie soaring almost a cent to 97.31 cents US early Friday morning. But as analysts digested the numbers, and other global economic news came in, the Canadian dollar closed down 0.05 of a cent at 96.31 cents US.
The S&P/TSX composite index fell 191 points to 11,588, while the Dow Jones industrial index dropped 20 points to 11,103.12.
In Canada, the good news was that most of the net new jobs were full-time jobs. The not-so-great news is that a good portion of the increase was in self-employment.
That segment of the workforce is often less stable and the bump suggests that many workers who couldn't find regular employment were compelled to go into business for themselves.
Despite the encouraging figures, some analysts cautioned that Canadian workers may not be out of the woods yet.
"I think the numbers are really a lot softer than they appear," said Andrew Jackson, chief economist with the Canadian Labour Congress.
One problem is that real wages continue to fall, which he said is putting pressure on working families. That could hurt household consumption rates down the road, Jackson said, and could also slow down Canada's housing market.
Avery Shenfeld, chief economist at CIBC World Markets, said that Canadians "should be reasonably happy" with a jobless rate of 7.1 per cent, but only because of the more acute unemployment problem south of the border.
"I guess we could say, ‘At least we're not them,'" Shenfeld said on CTV's Power Play. "While we've had a good employment run in Canada, I would agree that there are some signs of fraying at the edges."
September's employment increase was spread across a number of industries, including the notable addition of 38,000 educational workers. But some are now worried that those numbers on teachers might have distorted the data somewhat.
Teachers' assistants and other educational workers typically see a jump of hiring every September, as workers who were laid off for the summer are rehired at the start of the new school year. Statscan usually tries to adjust its figures to account for this seasonal bump based on trends of previous years.
But the agency noted that has been difficult in recent years, because there has not been a consistent pattern in the industry of late.
This is the final jobs report before the Bank of Canada issues its next interest-rate decision, due on Oct. 25. The central bank has held the key rate steady at 1 per cent since September 2010.
Though some have been expecting the bank will cut its lending rate, these latest data should temper those expectations, as it signals Canada's economy is holding steady even amid Europe's debt crisis and weak demand from the U.S.

Here's what happened with the jobless rate provincially (previous month in brackets):
Newfoundland 13.5 (13.7)
Prince Edward Island 11.4 (11.4)
Nova Scotia 8.4 (8.9)
New Brunswick 8.9 (9.2)
Quebec 7.3 (7.6)
Ontario 7.6 (7.5)
Manitoba 5.5 (5.4)
Saskatchewan 4.6 (4.5)
Alberta 5.4 (5.6)
British Columbia 6.7 (7.5)
CTV

Saskatchewan businesses have bullish outlook: survey

Actyl Group — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 05:00:00 GMT

CTV Regina
Date: Wednesday Oct. 5, 2011 10:55 AM CST
A new survey shows business owners in Saskatchewan are among the most optimistic in the country.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says nearly 72 per cent of survey respondents in the province had bullish expectations for the coming months.
Twenty per cent of business owners surveyed in Saskatchewan said they plan to increase full-time staff, while three per cent are planning to lay off full-time employees.
A majority of respondents said the shortage of skilled labour is the biggest hurdle Saskatchewan businesses face. Fuel and energy costs were also identified as a key concern.
Alberta's business owners were the most confident, with just over 74 per cent expressing an optimistic outlook for the near future.

Immigration a labour solution

Actyl Group — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 05:00:00 GMT

By Bruce Johnstone, Leader-PostSeptember 21, 2011
Saskatchewan's economic boom is coinciding with the retiring baby boom, creating a ticking timebomb that could stall the province's economic and population growth in the decades ahead, a local business group was told Tuesday.
One solution to the coming labour crunch is immigrant workers, particularly from the Philippines, where half the workers are fluent in English, most are welleducated, hard-working and reliable, according to Linda West, president of Actyl Group Inc., a Regina-based immigration consulting firm, and Marc Capistranoof Staffhouse International Resources, a Philippinesbased human resources company.
West and Capistrano, who spoke at a luncheon meeting of the Regina & District Chamber of Commerce, are partners in the growing business of providing skilled and semi-skilled labour for Saskatchewan employers, who are having difficulty finding and retaining Canadian-born employees.
West, who has a PhD in health management and an MBA, said demographic patterns are changing due to the retirement of the baby boom generation and the relatively small generation of working age people replacing them.
In addition, many Canadian young people are shying away from jobs in the service sector, leaving employers scrambling to fill jobs in the restaurant industry, for example.
Another area of rapid job growth is construction, followed by manufacturing. Skilled trades, such as pipefitters, sheet metal workers, welders and other 'red seal' trades, will continue to be in high demand as the economy ramps up.
Signs of the coming labour market squeeze are: wage inflation, project delays or cancellations and lower economic growth, West said.
"Our GDP is expected to get damped down by our workforce very substantively between 2015 and 2020-25 just because there will not be enough of a workforce. We're just seeing the beginning of the crisis, unfortunately. It's getting worse."
That's where the Philippines comes into the picture.
Capistrano said the Philippines' 400-year history of Spanish rule, followed by the U.S. occupation in 1898 has created an Asian country that is 90-per-cent Roman Catholic and 50-percent English speaking. And because Filipinos are generally hard-working, highly educated and reliable, they are employed in 190 different countries around the world as everything from labourers and technicians to highly skilled professionals.
But employers need to allow six to eight months minimum to get Filipino employees into the country due to Philippine immigration rules and restrictions imposed by federal immigration officials, as well as provincial programs, like the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP).
"There's a ton of paperwork, both here in Canada and in the Philippines,'' West said. "So we encourage you to get involved very early - six, eight, 10, 15 months out ... So the (immigrant workers) are ready to come, they already have their visas and you're just picking up the phone when you need them.''
If the workers are needed in less than six months, the applicants will have to be "multi-tracked. It will make your head spin. We'll be doing your paperwork ... and we'll be needing a lot of your attention very intensely at the beginning.''
West estimated Actyl has brought about 450 immigrants into the province in the last three years, but the demand in the years ahead will be in the thousands.
"The projection from the Saskatchewan Construction Association is 7,000 workers in the next two years."
Added Capistrano: "The numbers are staggering. One client of mine said they would need 6,000 workers in the next two years.'' bjohnstone@leaderpost.com

Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/life/Immigration+labour+solution/5433490/story.html#ixzz1Yb1WEYwv