There is a very good thread in the American section so I have decided to post one in the Canadian section to.

I stated in my blog only a couple of weeks ago that one of our employees had been asked to leave. I know deep down that this is due to cut backs as the recession is really starting to kick in here in Alberta.

Our companies sales still haven't picked up after six weeks one of the reasons is because we are a new store. My manager was telling me today that he wanted to leave opening our store for at least another six months but Head Office had other ideas.

I work for a pretty major company and the companies span across Canada and all the stores are struggling. We have a cool system where you can look at past sales and recent figures of any store Nation wide. The sales figures aren't very big, and its worrying.

Lay offs have started happening to people that aren't cutting the mustard and also full time hours are being cut to half and part-timers are just not getting anything.

I went into work today and my manager knows I can be flexible so he has asked if I mind having the week off.

Its a crap time right now, I had a funny feeling about today as I was walking to work. I don''t want to be sacked and I don't think the manager wants to let anymore of us go as we are now on bare minimum staff as it is.

Today he was working on his own in the store for a few hours to save costs and there is supposed to be two. Also the store hours have been changed we are not opening as late in order to save costs.

My husband is starting to think that there isn't the 15 year back log of work within the company he's with like they promissed to him, he got very itchy feet about coming just as we sold the house in the UK. My husband is a Structural Engineer, which was a job in very high demand only months ago.

I've opened this thread as a way for everyone to share their personal stories, maybe offer some support to each other and also for the people back in Blighty, it gives them an insight as to what is slowly starting to happen here.

Thanks for reading guys, over to you.

Cassie is your store a mall type store? I only ask because at this time of year all hours are cut to the bare bones in February and they don't start pulling back to late March time all hours are drastically reduced - I had no shifts at all for about 4 weeks last year - fared much better this year with the new manager, she has been fairer in dishing out the hours.

There are lots of people losing their jobs. I know one of the big oil companies based out of Red Deer have already laid off a load of staff and now have offered anyone over 50 early retirements.

We have been told there are no pay rises this year, the CEO has taken a 10% pay cut and has personally invested a huge sum into the company and 25% od office staff have been cut - they are all based in the States though.

I have noticed a lower $ spend rate in our store, there have been days when we haven't made $1000 let alone the budget for the day. So I think itsa comming and it'll hit hard and fast when it does come.

Thanks for your input Piff Poff as its great for people to see whats happening within other companies.

I don't work in the Mall but the Mall does have one of our stores and their sales are even more grim then they should be. I think the Mall has been hit harder as people are just not spending.

I always ask questions as I am very nosey and my manager says that the reccession is hitting us badly with regards to past figures so bad that there may be rumours of closures.

Yes, it's starting to hit retail.

My particular job is at a very niche high end store so so far it's had no impact. However, close friend works for one of the major upmarket chains, and they are down 30% on sales.

*prays Obama's stim package works*

There used to be a Louis Vuitton in the Banff Mall and I was quite surprised to see that shut down. What with the tourists.

I also over heard one of the Ski Hub guys say that there isn't half as much tourists coming over as previous years so I've answered my own question.

MY OH is a civil engineer- his place are doing fine- works mainly on fairly essential government funded projects. They like him. I am geotechnical , work on oilsands projects and I think I will be lucky to be in a job at the end of the year!!! They like me not as much as I think it bothers them I am part-time and not willing to travel extensively.

A mate is International Tourism manager at Travel Alberta. I saw him today and he says things aren't great.

Gryph

Apparently Banff tourism is down 30% compared to last year and the ski hire shops are 50% down on last year as they are getting less international tourists and the locals who are going skiing have their own skis.

That's interesting

I was laid off at the end of December and waiting for EI. I've been applying for jobs around town, but so far no interviews.

I am thinking this may just be a good time to go back to school and be a student for a few years while the economy sorts everything out.

Help us out what job and what town?

Chilliwack, BC is where I am. Its a smallish city of 70,000 90 minutes or so east of Vancouver.

I dont have a trade, I do a little of everything, well not really. I spent 6 years in the airline industry in the US, then went onto the hotel industry as I was laid off from the airline not long after 9/11, then since coming to Canada, I have worked as a night auditor in a hotel in Edmonton, and since coming to BC as a night auditor (seasonal 2007) at a local campground, then retail clerk.

So I guess I have most of my experience in:

Airlines (no airline service here and I no longer drive.)
Hotels (I have applied at all of the local hotels at some point, but we don't have very many)

My education is a mixed bag, but I never finished college. (Thats why I figure may as well go back, no time like the present to finish.)

I have certainly noticed that the Classified pages in our local newspapers are down to about 3 or 4 adverts a week - whereas it used to be 3 or 4 pages.

I think it was Piff Poff who mentioned on another thread about clerical/admin/secretarial posts having approximately 60 applicants per post? That's some fierce competition. I've applied for a couple of those types of jobs in the past few weeks, but I am disheartened really. I think it will come down to that good old 'networking' to get me in through the door - then Wow them with my winning personality! If you cannot wave abundant certificates around, I think you are culled on the first papersift.

Do I go and pay $1000 for a few courses so I too can wave certificates around? All for something I know I could be up to speed with after a week on the job. The job that I probably cannot get because I have no recent quals.

And it seems to me that any 'part-time' jobs that are available, still require you to work any and all hours, any day of the week. None of this 9am to 2pm rubbish . When times are tough, flexibility is the key - and some of us do not have that luxury, ability or inclination!

My Wife took a job at Canadian Tire last October to keep herself occupied while the kids were at School, she worked 3 days a week , 9 -2 which suited her perfectly.

Christmas came and she was asked to work loads of hours (which she didn't) they brought in loads of extra people, complained like mad that they couldn't get people etc. New Year came and the sales were a big hit, people lining up at the door each morning.

2nd week in Jan, the store was dead and it's been like that ever since. People have had their hours reduced, my Wife now works 4hrs per week LOL, it's a good job she isn't doing it for the money. But my point is, there are lots of people working there full time who have had their hours cut. They are hoping the Easter sales bring people back.

She checked all the other local stores and no one is hiring, they are all laying people off or cutting hours. The complete opposite of where I work?

I think your right Ann, being flexible is saving my job for the time being. I'm hoping he won't sack me as they are a good team to work with.

Like you say not all people can be flexible and I really don't know how some people live on the wages they get paid here, its shocking really.

There are loads of retail jobs available here at the moment - but you do have to be flexible with your hours unless you manage to a homemakers shift - one huge reason I am staying bored rather than searching. In our Mall we have 22 new stores opening on May1 - so that's 22 new stores looking for staff (only a couple are advertising at the moment). H&M are comming - apparently that's really exciting and they haven't found a store manager yet let alone dept managers, they are advertising out of province now.

So it's all good around here if you want to earn min wage and work all hours god sends, but hey - that's always been the way hasn't it?