A recent article on Monster.ca talks of a labor shortage that is affecting Canada, Mexico and Japan. Top of the list? Sales and customer service representatives.
Do we have a shortage of people skilled in these positions? I don’t think so, since the keys to customer service and sales are the same – being nice to the customer. That is a skill that anybody can posses and develop quite easily. I think that the problem is more likely caused by the fact that most customer service and sales positions pay a wage that is to low to survive on.
Consider this: the average one bedroom apartment in Ottawa rents for about $700 a month. Most people working minimum wage earn about that a month after they get the taxes EI and CPP deducted, assuming they are getting near full-time hours. Most customer service positions don’t actually give a solid 40 hour work week, and the scheduling is generally unstable which makes it difficult to balance two such jobs to make up the income.
If your entire paycheck every month is just enough to cover your rent, how are you supposed to eat or pay utilities, let alone have any sort of quality of life? Attracting skilled workers to the country might help in the traditional trades, where the skilled workers just aren’t here, but it won’t help in customer service. An underpaid worker is an underpaid worker – no matter where they came from.
Maybe the government should look into a way to give companies incentive to pay their customer service staff more, provide benefits and keep their employees above the poverty line. I think the workers are there, they’re just treated poorly and move on.
Canada’s primary export is natural resources – water, lumber, petroleum, natural gas, and so forth. Obviously without a focus on renewability, this will eventually run out. Big industrial corporations like CN apparently are content to expedite this – unless some lake-front property owners can’t swim in the lake. Well, then they offer $7.5M to the property owners for being unable to use the lake.
Umm, guys, the lake is filled with toxic petroleum ooze. What about whatever might have been living in and around the lake, like between the tracks and the lake? What is it going to be doing to the water supply in that area? I think $7.5M being offered as a take-it-or-leave it deal before the Alberta Environment commission has finished it’s analysis of the spill is one of those classic corporate sleaze moves like you see in the movies.
I hope this is not the direction Canada is going – destroying and selling off everything simultaneously. I’d hate to think what this country will look like down the road if that’s the case.
It took a couple of listens to fully appreciate Korn’s latest album ‘See You On The Other Side’. This album is unique in fact that it’s the first departure from the original line-up since the band started. Guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welsh left the band prior to this album’s creation listing three main reasons for his leaving: hearing his daughter saying some Korn lyrics (admittedly a lot of their lyrics are not appropriate for a child to be repeating), a new found dedication to his Lord Jesus Christ and (are you ready for this?) an addiction to crystal meth.
But, nevermind that – Jonathan Davis takes enough pot shots on the album, I don’t need to. It is a solid album that’s still undeniably Korn. The grooves are downright tight on this one, and Davis’ vocals are creative as ever. I’ve rather taken a liking to it.
Every Korn album has a different sound and feel to it, and are full of plenty of self-loathing and tortured lyrics, screaming, and ranting. Not for the musically tame, I can assure you – these guys are dark and heavy. They are also the best selling heavy act going – likely due to constantly touring and hosting mega-tours with their peers.
These guys have a large fan base and where pioneers on the Internet by hosting a live-Internet-release for their second album “Life Is Peachy” in 1996. They interacted with fans and played live, amazing since they where still on Sony Music Entertainment – aren’t they (Sony) one of the companies belly-aching about the Internet’s effect on the industry now?
Anyways, as always – I digress. They are on their own label now and still have a large interactive web presence. Despite missing one of their core members after being together so long, I am pleased to say that the music has not suffered – Korn’s still going strong.
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