"Youth Employment shrinks .... Young people are also leaving the work force in large numbers,"
OTTAWA, April 8 /CNW/ - The distress of young workers is the most striking feature of this month's Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada. "It's not just the fact that jobs for youth are down 1.6% from a year ago or that youth employment shrunk in the first three months of 2004 (workers aged 15 to 24 lost 36,000 jobs), it is mostly the realization that young people are also leaving the work force in large numbers," says Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, inviting policy makers to add to the unemployment numbers the 38,000 young workers who gave up on the job market this year.

"The federal government is in denial about this country's need for an employment strategy. Young Canadian workers and students need jobs now not learning bonds," says Georgetti.

The unemployment numbers - Statistics Canada reports that, last month, in March 2004, the unemployment rate edged up to 7.5%, from 7.4% in February.
Last year at this time the jobless rate was 7.3%. In seasonally-adjusted numbers, there are currently 1,287,000 Canadians who want to work but do not have a job.

Senior Economist Andrew Jackson's Analysis
- The rise in the unemployment rate from 7.4% to 7.5% since December understates the true seriousness of the current jobs' situation. Since December, 76,000 people - including 38,000 young people and 22,000 adult women - have dropped out of the work force. This is probably because they know that jobs are hard to find. If they were counted as unemployed, the unemployment rate this month would have been 7.9%.

- The total number of jobs has fallen by 20,000 since December, with the decline concentrated among young people. In fact, there were 36,000 fewer young people working in March than in December.

- The official youth unemployment rate in March was 14.3%. However, if the 38,000 young people who have dropped out were counted as unemployed, the youth unemployment rate would have been 15.5%.

Knowing When It's Time to Give up Your Job Search - When to Say "When"
TORONTO, April 5 /CNW/ - For those who have been unemployed for a long time, there inevitably comes a point when one wonders if they should just give up, stop looking and pursue an entirely different career path.
"It's devastating to be out of work for any length of time, but it's even more stressful when a job seeker realizes that he/she may never find a comparable position in his/her chosen field," said Jerry Weinger, Chairman of Bernard Haldane Associates, the international career management firm.
There are a number of issues to consider when facing this situation. Some obvious, but some that only each individual can assess to determine 'when to say when' in their career search.
Professional career advisors offer the following checklist to consider if they are out of work and wonder if they should switch careers:

- When you've done all of the right steps - networking, working with recruiters, attending job fairs, etc., with minimal results.
- When you haven't had a job offer throughout your search. - When positions in your field are going overseas.
- When industry is down in your area and you're unwilling to move.
- When your financial situation requires that you find a job immediately.

Once an individual realizes that he or she must throw in the towel and start anew, career advisors offer the following basic steps:
- Throw away your resume.
- Throw away any preconceptions.
- Look at new possibilities.
- List the core skills of your past experiences.
- Identify/find 6-10 of your core skills.
- Identify the personality traits that apply to your work, e.g., detail oriented vs. big picture, fast paced vs. slow, but steady, etc.
Career management experts say timing varies for each person, depending on individual needs. For some living in smaller communities, the decision is made for them when the area's only major employer has closed. For others, it is based on financial considerations and the realization that they have to take any job to maintain their standard of living. Others reach this conclusion only after searching for a year or more.
As the trend toward outsourcing jobs overseas continues and with greater numbers of jobs eliminated in certain industries, it's not surprising that many job seekers consider going in a new direction. In a host of areas, from manufacturing to high-tech to engineering to defense contractors, jobs -- and career opportunities -- have been lost.
After an honest assessment of skills, experience and expectations, one can make a decision about how to restart and renew a career, whether in the same industry or in a totally new direction.
"It's often beneficial to work with an objective career advisor who can help you figure out what to do next in terms of finding work that is financially and emotionally satisfying with the prospect of long-term employment opportunity," added Weinger.

ABOUT BERNARD HALDANE ASSOCIATES
Founded in 1947, Bernard Haldane Associates is the oldest and largest career management organization in the world, operating more than 100 offices throughout Canada, the United States, the Middle East, Australia and the United Kingdom.
In Canada, Bernard Haldane has 11 offices including Toronto (2), Ottawa, London, Burlington, Kingston, Montréal, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Visit www.bernardhaldane.com