Protect existing jobs.
That's the soundbite our governments need. Protect existing jobs. Frankly, realistically, since we're talking consumer confidence (which is subjective and somewhat emotional) they wouldn't actually have to do very much to protect existing jobs. Perhaps one or two token gestures, but mostly all they'd have to do is not do anything that would cost people their jobs. If people feel like their jobs are being protected, their consumer confidence will increase.
Protect existing jobs.
Dear Mr. Harper: Let's see these words in your budget speech.
Dear Mr. Ignatieff: Let's see these words in the conditions to which you hold the government's budget speech.
4 comments:
Very nice! I will quote you widely.
YES!!!!
3 words on your post: Way to go! Okay more than 3 words: You hit the nail on the head. And that's where I'd leave it except for my concern that some industries are a dead end. So that I think the government needs to act in helping those existing jobs in re-tooling for a greener economy. In the long run, I think that's where Canada can and should go.
Yes! I am totally with you on that. Take defunct automotive plants and repurpose them to make something else like they did in WWII (only this time something nicer than tanks.)
In terms of consumer confidence, the government should commit to providing specific retraining for obsolete jobs. Identify what kinds of comparable and sustainable new jobs Canada needs workers in and direct them towards training programs that will have them ready to hit the ground running (and/or subsidize employers in providing on-the-job training).
As it stands, I get the impression (and because this is consumer confidence, "I get the impression" is relevant) that if I were to retrain I'd have to figure out what to retrain in all by myself, and if I'm very lucky the government might give me a nominal amount that doesn't begin to cover my tuition and a frustratingly vague job search workshop that tells me to tailor my resume and access hidden job markets without elaborating in any way that's even broadly applicable to me.
And if I lost my job right now, I get the impression that if a part-time job were created at a Tim Hortons somewhere in the oil sands, the gov't would call it even.
If they made a program to hold these obsoleted workers' hands on their way to new and comparable jobs, that combined with the "protect existing jobs" soundbite would make people feel safe.
/rant
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