23/06/2015

Precariousworkisnowthenewnorm,UnitedWayreportsays|TorontoStar

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Precariousworkisnowthenewnorm,United
Wayreportsays
MorethanhalfofGTAworkersintemporary,contractorparttimejobs,UnitedWay,
McMasterUniversityreportfinds.

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Afteryearsofparttimeandcontractwork,DianaMavunduse,41,hasfinallylandedafulltime
jobwithbenefitsatadowntownsocialserviceagency.

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TTC

Precariousemploymentisheretostay,anewstudyshows,andTorontosneweconomic
realityimpactseveryonefromtheworkingpoortothemiddleclass.

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TheresearchconfirmsUnitedWayandMcMasterUniversitysgroundbreaking2013
findingsthatfewerthanhalfofworkersintheGTAandHamiltonareinpermanent,full
timejobs.
Instead,about52percentofworkersareintemporary,contract,orparttimepositions.
Alltheindicatorssuggestthatthisisthetrendofthenewlabourmarket,saidWayne
Lewchuk,thereportsleadresearcher.

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Thisisthenewformofemployment.
Itisalsoamajorcauseofsocialstressforpeople,regardlessofincome.
Precariousworkersaretwiceaslikelyasthoseinstablejobstoreporthavingmental
healthproblems.
Tweet

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Theyaresixtimesmorelikelytodelaystartingarelationshipbecauseofjob
uncertainty.
Theyarethreetimesmorelikelytodelayhavingkids.
Andalmosthalfofprecariousworkerssaytheiremploymentsituationdisruptstheir

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23/06/2015

Precariousworkisnowthenewnorm,UnitedWayreportsays|TorontoStar
familylife.

triOS College
Second
Career
Government
Funding

READMORE:Potentialsolutionstocitysprecariousemploymentproblem
DianaMavunduse,41,whospentmostofthepastsevenyearsknittingtogethervarious
parttimeandcontractjobstomakeendsmeet,admitsshehasnteventhoughtabout
startingafamily.
Backhome,Iwouldbemarriedalreadywithchildren,shesaysoflifeinhernative
Zimbabwe.

Get Funded &

Learn New Skills
at triOS College.
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Learn More!

Butwhenyouareworkingprecariousjobsyoudonthavetimetomeetanybody.

GET INFO!

Theformerjournalistandinternationaldevelopmentspecialistjustlandedafulltime,
permanentjobwithbenefitsinadowntownsocialserviceagency.Onlynowisshe
beginningtodiscussthefuturewithherfianc.
Isittimetosettledown?shewonders.Isittoolateforchildren?
Asacommunitydevelopmentcoordinator,Mavunduseisabletodrawonherown
experienceworkingasacleanerandatelemarketertohelpothernewcomerswhoare
struggling.
Itsimportantwhenyouareworkingwithpeopletomeetthemwheretheyare,she
says.

PARTNERCONTENT

Successfullyintegratingintothecommunity

Alotofthemaredoctorsandengineerswhocomewiththeirfamilies,shesays.They
studyforyearsforacareer,butendupcominghereandgettinga(menial)job.Theyend
upfocusingontheirchildren.
Asaresult,thepressureonfamiliesisimmense,Mavunduseadds.

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Nowitistimetotakemoreconcreteaction,saidUnitedWayTorontoCEOSusan
McIsaac.
Thereport,entitledThePrecarityPenalty,warnsthatwithoutsuchaction,precarious
workwillnotonlyaffecttheabilityofpeopletobuildstableandfulfillinglives,butit
willthreatenourregionscapacitytodevelopacompetitiveworkforce.
Thatsbecauseworkersinshortterm,insecureemploymentaregettinglessandless
accesstoonthejobtrainingthatcouldhelpbuildacareer.
Ithinkthatsapotentiallymajorwaythatcompetitivenesscanbecompromisedbythis
kindofemployment,saidLewchuk,aprofessorofLabourStudiesatMcMaster
University.
Oneofthestudysnotablefindingsisthatwhitewomenweretheonlygrouptoseea
declineinprecariousemployment.Thepercentageofwhitewomeninsecure
employmenthasincreasedby12percentsince2013,andthepercentageinprecarious
employmentdroppedby9percent.

MunicipalElections
905ElectionCoverage
TueJun232015

TorontoElectionCoverage
TueJun232015

Meanwhile,thepercentageofmeninsecureemploymenthasdroppedby10percent,
andtheirshareofprecariousemploymenthasjumpedby19percent.
Lewchuksaidthetrendisatleastinpartduetothedeclineinsecureandtraditionally
maledominatedmanufacturingjobs.Womenaremorelikelytobeconcentratedin
publicsectorjobssuchaseducationandhealthcare,whichtendtobemoresecure.
Theresearchsurveyed4,193workersintheGreaterTorontoHamiltonAreaages25to
65.ItseekstoexpandonStatisticsCanadadata,whichonlymeasurestemporary
employmentandselfemploymentratherthanothermeasuresofprecariousworksuch
asuncertainworkschedulesandirregularearnings.
Whiletheimpactofprecariousworkhitslowwageworkersthehardest,thereport
confirmsthattheconsequencesreachacrosstheincomespectrum.
Middleincomeearnersinprecariouswork,forexample,reportedfeelinggreater
anxietyaboutfamilylife,theirdebtobligationsandmaintainingtheirstandardofliving
thanevenlowincomeworkerswithsecurejobs.

Fromaroundtheweb

Some48percentoflowwage,insecureworkersand36percentofmiddleincome,
insecureworkerssaidtheiremploymentnegativelyaffectedtheirfamilylife.
Meanwhile,just30percentoflowincomeworkerswithstableemploymentsaidtheir

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23/06/2015

Precariousworkisnowthenewnorm,UnitedWayreportsays|TorontoStar
jobsinterferedwithlifeathome.

LookingForACareer?
TheJobsYouMay
NotHaveConsidered

Almost37percentoftheareasmostvulnerableworkersalsoreportedexperiencing
poormentalhealth,comparedtojust20percentofthoseinsecurejobs.

UnionizedLabour

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Thereportsuggestsavarietyofsolutionstotacklethecitysincreasinglyinsecurejob
landscape,andtomitigateitsimpactoncommunitiesandfamilies.
Theseincludeimprovingtrainingforprecariousworkers,updatingtheEmployment
StandardsActtoincludeprovisionssuchasfairschedulingandbuildingahighquality,
affordablechildcaresystem.

LearnHowandWhen
toUseThin
Provisioning

Themovetononstandardworkwouldntbesobadiftherestofsocietywassetupto
accommodateit,Lewchuksays.

32PeopleWhoMade
TerribleLifeChoices
ViralNova

SolarWinds

Ithinktheproblemisthatwevegotawholesetofinstitutionsthatwerebuiltinthe
1970sthatdontmatchthisnewformofemploymentthatsbecomingmoreandmore
prevalent.

Recommendedby

McIsaacsaysitstimepolicymakersandcivilsocietystarteddealingwiththenewreality.
Thisisthemoment,sheadds.Ibelievethereisrealmomentum.

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