FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Thursday, April 8, 2010

 

NEED FOR CLARIFICATION: THERE WILL BE JOBS

 

(OTTAWA, Ontario) ) The article entitled  "Gloomy Report Predicts Loss of 10,000 Gov't Jobs in Ottawa Over Next Three Years" that was published in the Ottawa Citizen on April 7, 2010 has raised much confusion for the federal job seeker. It has left a bleak outlook on employment opportunities in the federal government.

The article claimed that �the Ottawa-Gatineau economy could lose almost 10,000 government jobs over the next three years as new budget spending restraints cast a pall over the region�. This claim was based on recent economic predictions by The Conference Board of Canada. The Conference Board is merely making predictions about the local employment situation of the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

�Since the federal government has introduced a new budget that is, in effect, a complete reversal on the stimulus spending of a year ago, it is logical to equate that with lowered job expectations here in Ottawa� says Ned Diaz, a Senior Consultant with the JobHunters � Federal Employment Specialists. The 10,000 or so jobs that the Conference Board is predicting will be lost does not all come from the Federal Public Service, but from the Public Service in general, which includes Provincial and Municipal employees as well. This can include everything from construction workers, social services employees, arms-length government agencies employees, city hall employees and yes, public administration employees in the Federal Government.

The emphasis on this issue has been placed heavily on the Federal Public Service, and correlations are being drawn that link the upcoming three years with the early 90's, a time period that saw 19,000 plus jobs lost in the Federal Public Service nationwide. This is not the case today.

�We do not think this correlation or even the numbers projected to be entirely accurate, since there is still a deluge of retirement pending with roughly 40% of all Federal Government Employees eligible to retire by the time the Conference Board figures its predictions will peak. The worst case scenario is that a control mechanism being considered to replace only 1 of 3 positions will be put in place. This still means over 50,000 positions will need to be filled with a majority located in Ottawa� adds Diaz.

It is clear that the upcoming three years will be a period of decreased spending. Whether this translates into a massive jobs loss is highly unlikely. The Government of Canada may begin to cut spending in other areas, such as reducing budgets dedicated to projects requiring the services of outside consultants and contractors, something that costs the Federal Government an excess of over $7.5 billion a year.

There will still be jobs, plenty of them, only the competition for each position will be intense.

 

 

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The JobHunters is a Career Consulting service specifically and exclusively designed for individuals seeking to gain employment in the Canadian Federal Public Service.They offer a wide range of career services including job-hunting assistance, resume and cover letter writing, career assessments and one-on-one personalized consultations.

 

 

For More information:

Farhia Ahmed
The JobHunters 
Federal Government Employment Specialists
613-263-JOBS
fixmyres@gmail.com
www.thejobhunters.ca