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Source: ctvnews.ca OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a major increase to the wage subsidy for small- and medium-sized businesses, boosting it to 75 per cent, up from the 10 per cent previously promised. This decision, to help “qualifying businesses” keep employees on staff, is being back-dated to March 15, with more information coming soon. Read more…

Source: www.hcamag.com At a time when nearly every growing business is facing a shortage of qualified workers, the HR function has never been more important. In the last decade, the country’s unemployment rate has plummeted from approximately 10% to 3.5%. At the same time, the skills gap has grown, and as a result, business leaders’ No. 1 concern is now attracting and retaining talent.

Source: www.mondaq.com In recent weeks, we have paid close attention to government and media reports confirming new cases of a novel coronavirus originating from Wuhan, China and spreading to a number of cities and countries worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently declared a global health emergency as the outbreak continues to spread. According to recent reports, there are confirmed cases in Canada in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec.

Source: www.theglobeandmail.com American psychologist and author Adam Grant has famously described the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, arguably the most commonly used personality assessment, as being somewhere between a horoscope and a heart monitor in terms of accuracy. Unfortunately, many employers misuse personality tests to make significant human-resource decisions, from who to hire to who to promote.

Source: hrreporter.com Mental health, right to disconnect, digital platform workers on agenda Minister of Labour Filomena Tassi was in Windsor, Ont. recently to meet with stakeholders to discuss a number of new labour policy initiatives the federal government is piloting. Meeting with leaders of a local Unifor union, along with the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority and the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce, Tassi sought stakeholder views on three new initiatives.

Source: winnipegfreepress.com With Boomers sticking around longer, it’s getting harder to attract and retain Millennials The year 2020 is Manitoba’s 150th birthday which got me thinking about birthdays in general. I was thinking especially about those individuals that are turning the so called “magic” age of 65 but who are still in the workforce. Statistics show this group of workforce seniors doubled between 1995 and 2015 and grew again by 20 per cent between 2011 and 2016.

Source: hbr.org With critical thinking ranking among the most in-demand skills for job candidates, you would think that educational institutions would prepare candidates well to be exceptional thinkers, and employers would be adept at developing such skills in existing employees. Unfortunately, both are largely untrue.

Source: hrreporter.com ‘Many are feeling rudderless when it comes to managing finances’ People in Canada spend an average of two hours per day worrying about their finances, with 18- to 35-year-olds worrying the most, finds a new survey from Scotiabank. This age group worries about finances 2.4 hours a day, while those 55 and up worry an average of 1.4 hours a day and those 35 to 54 worry two hours a day, found the survey of 1,520 Canadians.

Source: hrreporter.com 47 per cent say technology has blurred boundary between professional, personal life The advent of technology and the modern work-from-home setup have allowed parents to earn money in their homes, but they also have negative effects on family relations, wellbeing and work-life balance, according to a new report.

Source: hrreporter.com About 3,000 workers lost jobs due to manufacturer shuttering long-running assembly plant A new centre to support auto parts workers affected by the assembly line closure at the General Motors (GM) Oshawa plant with skills retraining and employment services is set to open. In October, Unifor and the Ontario government announced the opening of an action centre for GM employees.

Source: business2community.com Effective leadership skills don’t happen by accident. They’re cultivated through hard work, strategic focus, and consistency. And, no matter how advanced you are in your career, there’s always room to hone your leadership skills, becoming a more effective motivator and change agent.

Source: hrreporter.com ‘Like all workers, we deserve the right to form a union and bargain collectively’ The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union Canada has applied to the Ontario Labour Relations Board to unionize more than 300 Uber Black limousine and SUV drivers in Toronto. With the application, the drivers could become the first ride-sharing workers in Canada to gain union representation. The drivers are hoping to be paid for all hours worked and have a guaranteed hourly wage. They also want to secure just cause protection and a legally binding grievance procedure, and to compel Uber to abide by Ontario’s Employment Standards Act and recognize drivers as employees rather than independent contractors.