'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
As the job market continues to evolve amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report suggests that employers are looking for candidates with skills that weren't as relevant prior to 2020, including experience in virtual customer service and safety adherence.
According to Randstad Canada's annual career forecast for 2022, COVID-19 isn't the only factor impacting employer priorities when hiring new workers.
The HR services company says economic pressures, evolving customer preferences, competitive markets and regulatory requirements have also forced companies to become more efficient and re-evaluate their business models.
"Again this year, we anticipate that the job seekers will be spoilt for choice if they have the skills so sought after by employers," said Patrick Poulin, group president of Randstad Canada, in a press release.
Randstad says skills including budgeting, accounting and quality control have become "of paramount importance" to employers trying to run a successful business during the pandemic.
According to the report, the "most sought-after professionals" for 2022 are customer service representatives, salespeople and scheduling specialists, in addition to budgeting and accounting positions.
Randstad Canada's full list of the fastest-growing roles for 2022 includes:
While retail workers and cashiers were in high demand in 2021, according to the report, customer service representatives are "now more important than ever" for businesses.
With consumers focusing more on online shopping, Randstad said companies have taken notice that even just one bad experience with a brand will send shoppers elsewhere.
"This is why roles such as customer service representatives and administrative assistants have come to the forefront," according to the report.
Randstad noted that scheduling specialists is a new role added to this year's list due to the increased need for businesses to address safety protocols amid COVID-19.
To ensure that a work environment is safe, the report says more employers are using "intelligent scheduling software" to adhere to public health measures and still be able to cater to consumers.
"Initially, organizations were focused on making sure their workforce had the technology and security they needed to remain operational, now the focus is on the long-term need to push sales, provide best in class customer service, provide a safe environment for their employees and customers and effectively manage their budgets," Poulin said in the release.
"From an employee perspective, this provides Canadians with the opportunity to level up, refine and repurpose skills that they may have used in previous roles," he added.
And the latest data shows employees may already be taking advantage of this.
According to the latest Indeed Job Search Survey, the share of Canadians actively looking for work rose in December, with greater job search activity reported among those both employed and not.
Of those Canadians surveyed, 34 per cent said they were actively looking for work, which Indeed economist Brandon Bernard called a "statistically significant increase" from the 28 per cent reported in November.
In addition, the survey from Indeed found that both employed and unemployed job seekers were more confident in their skills to find work quickly in December, compared to November.
"The question for the months ahead is whether job search activity and confidence can remain robust through the near-term economic hit from the surge of new COVID-19 cases that began towards the end of the year," Bernard said.
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.