Gradual retirement , Shortage of engineers, Emerging economies

Gradual retirement picking up steam

According to a recent survey by Desjardins Insurance, 75% of Canadian workers plan to spread out their retirement rather than leaving overnight. How do they plan to do this? By reducing their weekly working hours or taking longer vacations. This desire for gradual departure is especially marked among 18-39 year olds (76%) and diminishes with age (66% for 40-64 year olds and about 50% for those over 65 years old). Canadians are motivated by a soft start to their retirement for several reasons. The ability to retain their health care coverage is the most significant factor. Close behind is a stimulating working environment, a less demanding position and a more attractive salary.

Growing shortage of experienced and specialized engineers in Canada

A report published this month by Engineers Canada highlights the lack of engineers with more than 10 years of specialized experience. By 2020, retirement of 95,000 engineers will aggravate the situation. According to the organization, solutions should be considered to overcome the labour shortage in terms of training new graduates and integration of foreign engineers. For these, employment prospects are optimal since employers will recruit for specific projects. Young graduates, meanwhile, have a more difficult time to find a position due to their lack of experience. Finally, the study also reveals that the growth of employment in the engineering sector varies from one region to another and is more pronounced in the provinces to the west of Quebec.

Emerging economies in search of manpower for 2013

Hiring intentions are particularly high in emerging countries this year, according to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder among 6,000 hiring managers in the 10 largest economies worldwide. India and Brazil are in the lead, with 71% and 67% of recruiters respectively planning to hire full time workers for permanent contracts. The least optimistic in terms of hiring are employers in Italy (19%), Japan (22%) and France (24%). The same trend can be seen in terms of financial health: the number of companies who are experiencing a better situation than last year for the same period is highest in India (81%) and Brazil (80%). The least well off remain in Italy (25%), Japan (34%) and France (38%).