North American firms put most priority on leadership

A Right Management study has found that American and Canadian firms focus more on a candidate’s leadership qualities when they want to fill a management position. 71% of U.S. and Canadian respondents ranked leadership abilities first, says this survey of 2,000 recruiters in 17 countries. The results also show some regional disparities; 61% of European employers ranked leadership first vs. 53% of employers from the Asia-Pacific region. Important hiring criteria for executive positions include track record for driving business performance, fit with corporate culture, creativity and innovation as well as critical thinking skills.

Manufacturing sales increase

Canadian manufacturing sales increased for the fourth time in five months, according to the latest Statistics Canada data. In November 2011, they climbed 2% to $49.6 billion—an almost universal increase in the sector since this trend was observed in 14 of 21 industries, i.e. 80% of the Canadian manufacturing sector. The highest gains were in the machinery (13.4%), motor vehicle  (7.1%) and petroleum and coal product (3.9%) industries. The growth was Canada-wide, with manufacturing sales rising in nine provinces. New Brunswick was the only province with a decline in sales in November.

Most employees are optimistic about 2012

According to a Randstad study, Canadian employees are quite optimistic about their work in 2012. Of the 400 people surveyed, 62% think this year will be more profitable for their company. In addition, 58% expect year-end salary increases. But despite these positive expectations, only 47% of Canadian workers think their benefits will get better this year and only 43% expect to get an annual bonus—a mark of restraint given that the country has just gone through a period of economic uncertainty.

British Columbia investing in training

British Columbia is helping employees gain the essential skills they need to succeed while increasing productivity for employers through a $1.5-million training investment. Nine SkillsPlus training programs have been set up throughout the province and should benefit more than 450 employees. Thanks to partnerships between companies, training organizations and service providers, the various programs will be incorporated into the workplace. Essential skills include reading text, document use, numeracy, writing, oral communication, working with others, continuous learning, thinking skills and computer use.

Few employers see staff cutbacks in 2012

A study by Right Management has found that only 9% of the 200 senior executives questioned anticipate significant staff cutbacks or restructurings this year, while 86% expect none. The job market should take another direction, with 19% of employers predicting stepped-up recruiting in 2012 to drive strategic growth and 22% planning on more hiring to fill existing gaps. More than half (59%) of respondents predicted nominal hiring on an as-need basis. In summary, workforce changes should reflect Canadian economic trends.

IT salaries on the rise

Recruiting firm Robert Half analyzed computer sector salaries in 2012. Findings show that certain professionals could make significantly more money than last year. Mobile application developers, who are increasingly in demand, could see their starting salaries increase by an average of 8% this year, between $72,500 and $102,750. Website developers, for their part, could make between $75,000 and $120,000, an increase of 6.6% vs. 2011. Salaries for network engineers, data analysts, web developers, data security specialists and search engine optimization specialists should also go up.

Workplace fraud costing companies billions

The Certified General Accountants Association of Canada has just released a report on the cost of fraud in the workplace—in 2010, collective losses totalled $3.2 billion. The number of small- and medium-sized businesses who experienced at least one fraud during the past year is estimated at 290,000. Despite everything, only 26% of companies polled admitted being exposed to the problem, 20% have implemented a response plan and 41% are taking risk assessment measures. The report highlights that while the financial loss is significant, companies should not neglect the impact of such events on employee morale, the company’s reputation and customer trust.