Vol. 11 Issue 2, November 19, 2020
Hamilton's Labour Market Connection
Your weekly news & updates from WPH!
In this week's edition: Understanding Canada's online labour force; COVID Workplace Safety Plans Templates; Skills for Steel Info Session; Who's Hiring in Hamilton?; Hamilton LMI October 2020
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Measuring the Unmeasurable: Canada's Online Labour Force

COVID-19 has forced many businesses to pivot - and the rise of online work seems to have skyrocketed. But is this really the case and can we measure online labour accurately? Often performed at irregular hours, sometimes through “microtasks” across a borderless internet, perhaps to earn supplementary income, perhaps only a few times a month — the complexity of online work’s measurement is unsurprising. Traditional labour force measurements, developed well before the widespread proliferation of digital work, are in many ways unfit to respond to such complexity.

This article looks at measuring digital work by the Oxford Internet Institute’s Online Labour Index (OLI). In near-real time, the index tracks the number of online, freelance tasks being completed, measuring a variety of tasks in countries around the world. The index is simultaneously a logical approach to grappling with evolving patterns of labour and a unique attempt to measure an entire form of work that barely existed just a few years ago.
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COVID-19 Workplace Safety Plan - Do You Need One?

The short answer is YES.

Employers are responsible under the Occupational Health and Safety Act to take reasonable steps to protect workers as best as possible. With Hamilton entering the "Red Zone" earlier this week it is important businesses ensure their COVID workplace safety plan is in place. There is a template for businesses to use to create a safety plan.



Skills For Steel

YMCA Skills for Steel program is recruiting again, and looking to start the next cohort on November 30th! SKILLS for STEEL is a Skills Advance Ontario project that trains local people with the technical, essential and employability skills needed in Hamilton’s Steel Industry.

• Up to 8 weeks industry training in the Steel Industry, Connections to the industry, Certificate of Recognition, Opportunity for paid job placement (4-12 wks), Opportunity for permanent employment, Graduation ceremony, Support from Employment Coaches
  • Unemployed or working less than 20 hours a week or living on low household income
  • 18+ years old
  • Not in school
  • Legally entitled to work in Canada
  • Interest in a career in the Steel Industry
  • Must have access to a computer with internet.

There is an information session on Zoom. 
Topic: Skills for Steel Information Session
Time: Nov 19, 2020 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
 
Restart & Recovery: COVID-19 in Hamilton Report

Last week, WPH released our report on how Hamilton employers were fairing through the lockdowns, closures, and the impact the COVID-19 pandemic was having on their businesses. If you missed it be sure to check out the report below.
Who's Hiring in Hamilton During COVID-19?

New job board provides opportunities for businesses and job seekers
With support from the city’s Economic Development Office we are sharing a new platform for Hamilton businesses and their local employment needs. During these unprecedented times there is a desire for real-time information on job opportunities across many sectors in our city.

Hamilton Labour Force Information:
September 2020

The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the City of Hamilton, Hamilton Economic Development, and the Flamborough and Stoney Creek Chambers of Commerce, are closely monitoring and assessing new developments pertaining to COVID-19, as well as its impacts on Hamilton business.

Workforce Planning Hamilton | 905-521-5777| info@workforceplanninghamilton.ca | www.workforceplanninghamilton.ca