Long-term unemployment (6 mos. +) in Alberta .. for a news story

[cbcjoel]

Long time lurker, etc ...

Hi all, I am a reporter working on a story about long-term unemployment in Alberta. Long term unemployment, (ie: those out of work for 6 months plus) accounts for 1 in 3 of those unemployed in Alberta -- much higher than other provinces at 33%.

I'm wondering if anyone here falls in that category who might chat with me for a story -- about the roadblocks you've run into, and what challenges are out there for finding work?

Feel free to comment or send me a private message, or email me: joel.dryden@cbc.ca

Thanks!
Joel

[Macman]

It is tough if you’re a professional or even trades person but there’s still survival type jobs if you’re willing to work and are physically capable of doing so. Not everybody is suited for this type of work along with the hours, work life balance etc.

I guess unemployment is still high here in Alberta compared to other parts of the country.

[Locke]

Hm. Interesting, well be sure to let us know when it airs so we can watch.

If I know anyone in that situation I'll be sure to direct them your way.

[Yoho]

If you were out of work for the last 6 months you don’t have a prayer the next 6-12 months.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by cbcjoel

Long time lurker, etc ...

Hi all, I am a reporter working on a story about long-term unemployment in Alberta. Long term unemployment, (ie: those out of work for 6 months plus) accounts for 1 in 3 of those unemployed in Alberta -- much higher than other provinces at 33%.

I'm wondering if anyone here falls in that category who might chat with me for a story -- about the roadblocks you've run into, and what challenges are out there for finding work?

Feel free to comment or send me a private message, or email me: joel.dryden@cbc.ca

Thanks!
Joel

What kind of variances are you interested in?

For instance I know of people who were laid off with severance, once severance ran out collected EI but were out of work for significant periods of time, but not really in bad spots.

Or people who collected CERB then EI and have been off work for a prolonged period?

Or are you looking for the people whose employment ended and simply havent been able to find work and re-enter the workforce?

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by Yoho

If you were out of work for the last 6 months you don’t have a prayer the next 6-12 months.

Why do you say this?

Oil and gas is exploding from what I can tell. Lots of jobs out there with a little effort.

[cbcjoel]

Originally Posted by Locke

What kind of variances are you interested in?

For instance I know of people who were laid off with severance, once severance ran out collected EI but were out of work for significant periods of time, but not really in bad spots.

Or people who collected CERB then EI and have been off work for a prolonged period?

Or are you looking for the people whose employment ended and simply havent been able to find work and re-enter the workforce?

I would be open to any of those situations, really!

Part of this whole thing is the psychological side of it -- what is it like to seek a job for so long, and how does that affect people mentally?

[CaptainCrunch]

When the Pandemic started, the company that I was with jumped right into layoffs, I was off work for about 6 months, there wasn't much out there, and the jobs that were were flooded with 8 billion candidates. So I just went into business for myself with consulting and it seems to have worked out.

[Harry Lime]

I've never not gotten a job where I can walk into a business and shake the owner's hand. My whole life has been; walk in, introduce myself, chat, interview, stay at job for half a decade or more.

I've been looking since Christmas for something in Cochrane or Northwest Calgary, or anything with pay that would make added commute worth it. It's all online. All off-site. No actual person to talk to. The lack of response has been the hardest part. Easily a hundred resumes, and one interview. Putting a lot of attention into making every application perfect.

The jobs I'm applying to have gone from career material, to parallel move, to I'm overqualified, to minimum wage local. It's disheartening. I would do an oil and gas job. I don't have any experience in that field, but have administration experience and am not afraid to get my hands dirty. If there is a secret handshake, I'm a quick learner.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

I've never not gotten a job where I can walk into a business and shake the owner's hand. My whole life has been; walk in, introduce myself, chat, interview, stay at job for half a decade or more.

I've been looking since Christmas for something in Cochrane or Northwest Calgary, or anything with pay that would make added commute worth it. It's all online. All off-site. No actual person to talk to. The lack of response has been the hardest part. Easily a hundred resumes, and one interview. Putting a lot of attention into making every application perfect.

The jobs I'm applying to have gone from career material, to parallel move, to I'm overqualified, to minimum wage local. It's disheartening. I would do an oil and gas job. I don't have any experience in that field, but have administration experience and am not afraid to get my hands dirty. If there is a secret handshake, I'm a quick learner.

I hear this big time.

Interviewing with some soulless HR drone that even if hired you'll never encounter again, instead of someone that actually has a clue what the job is about and what they're looking for

[scobel]

It is very interesting to see, as in some parts of Alberta and with certain skills ie. trades, companies cannot find enough people. This maybe due to the baby boomers retiring and wages dropping so low in the trades that for a first year apprentice would make almost the same equivalent as someone working in a non-skilled (apprenticeship) job. Unfortunately many people that would be considered typical trades "person" don't look longer term and don't want to do the grunt work for longer term benefits. This in my opinion may stall growth and future investments in Alberta as labor cost will sore and knowledge will not be there.

[Northendzone]

i'd be curious to hear stories from folks who became "under-employed", when O&G tanked.

Where did they go, how did it turn out for them, and perhaps now that there is potentially some opportunities in the field would they consider getting back in and what kind of offers are they seeing?

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

i'd be curious to hear stories from folks who became "under-employed", when O&G tanked.

Where did they go, how did it turn out for them, and perhaps now that there is potentially some opportunities in the field would they consider getting back in and what kind of offers are they seeing?

I'd be interested in that as well!

Since I'm asking I'll start: I was laid off in 2016 from an oil and gas job I had held since graduating. After my severance and EI ran out without any offers, and only a couple of tangentially related interviews I ended up starting a business in a (very) unrelated field. There were some lean years involved (the first two and then 18 months during covid) but now I'm earning more than I was in O&G with less hours/office politics/permanent work from home.

The downside is the variability- covid wasn't a lot if fun for economic reasons for me, for example. I am now seeing plenty of roles come up that I'd be qualified for (if you got over the 6 year gap...) but I don't intend to apply. In fact, I'm planning to put my P Eng to non-practicing as doing the professional development hours is a burden when I'm not using it. I really enjoyed being a development engineer, but the trade-offs of going back don't make sense to me. It isn't like I'd be guaranteed 25 years of stability on O&G...

[Jbo]

I find the CBC stories written so purposefully negative. From the way they are usually overtly focused on a specific issue that looks bad, to the usual click bait titles that often feel like bashes to Calgary while ignoring similar issues that cities all over Canada face.

I’m not even one of those people crying fake news but find CBC stuff to play into a weird anti Alberta narrative

[RichieRich]

Originally Posted by Jbo

I find the CBC stories written so purposefully negative. From the way they are usually overtly focused on a specific issue that looks bad, to the usual click bait titles that often feel like bashes to Calgary while ignoring similar issues that cities all over Canada face.

I’m not even one of those people crying fake news but find CBC stuff to play into a weird anti Alberta narrative

I'd love to give the reporter the benefit of the doubt, as I was also unemployed/underemployed for a quite lengthy time. So on one hand an empathetic enquiring conversation is cathartic... but is it a sob story approach? about the feast and famine of Alberta's O&G industry? about lack of ability/drive to pivot? Sadly I often read CBC articles and also find them more polarizing and typically anti-O&G yet leave large obvious questions unasked and unanswered.

[FireGilbert]

Not relevant to present day but I was made redundant in Calgary in December 2008 and did not work in a full time role for all of 2009. Ended up having to move to Australia where I started a new job in January 2010.

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

I've never not gotten a job where I can walk into a business and shake the owner's hand. My whole life has been; walk in, introduce myself, chat, interview, stay at job for half a decade or more.

I've been looking since Christmas for something in Cochrane or Northwest Calgary, or anything with pay that would make added commute worth it. It's all online. All off-site. No actual person to talk to. The lack of response has been the hardest part. Easily a hundred resumes, and one interview. Putting a lot of attention into making every application perfect.

The jobs I'm applying to have gone from career material, to parallel move, to I'm overqualified, to minimum wage local. It's disheartening. I would do an oil and gas job. I don't have any experience in that field, but have administration experience and am not afraid to get my hands dirty. If there is a secret handshake, I'm a quick learner.

Have you considered the rigs, or field work?

Also, Prince Rupert is going to be...........busy....

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Jbo

I find the CBC stories written so purposefully negative. From the way they are usually overtly focused on a specific issue that looks bad, to the usual click bait titles that often feel like bashes to Calgary while ignoring similar issues that cities all over Canada face.

I’m not even one of those people crying fake news but find CBC stuff to play into a weird anti Alberta narrative

Originally Posted by RichieRich

I'd love to give the reporter the benefit of the doubt, as I was also unemployed/underemployed for a quite lengthy time. So on one hand an empathetic enquiring conversation is cathartic... but is it a sob story approach? about the feast and famine of Alberta's O&G industry? about lack of ability/drive to pivot? Sadly I often read CBC articles and also find them more polarizing and typically anti-O&G yet leave large obvious questions unasked and unanswered.

I'd love to hear the CBC reporter who started the thread's response to these posts. I personally love the CBC and value it greatly in this country and hand't heard this angle about their reporting before.

[Northendzone]

great story. congrats on getting your own thing going.

Originally Posted by bizaro86

I'd be interested in that as well!

Since I'm asking I'll start: I was laid off in 2016 from an oil and gas job I had held since graduating. After my severance and EI ran out without any offers, and only a couple of tangentially related interviews I ended up starting a business in a (very) unrelated field. There were some lean years involved (the first two and then 18 months during covid) but now I'm earning more than I was in O&G with less hours/office politics/permanent work from home.

The downside is the variability- covid wasn't a lot if fun for economic reasons for me, for example. I am now seeing plenty of roles come up that I'd be qualified for (if you got over the 6 year gap...) but I don't intend to apply. In fact, I'm planning to put my P Eng to non-practicing as doing the professional development hours is a burden when I'm not using it. I really enjoyed being a development engineer, but the trade-offs of going back don't make sense to me. It isn't like I'd be guaranteed 25 years of stability on O&G...

[Harry Lime]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Have you considered the rigs, or field work?

Also, Prince Rupert is going to be...........busy....

Due to family obligations, I can't relocate.

I double checked a random site (in this case Cenovus) because I am aware of 'rigs'. Honestly I don't know anything about them, so I'd basically be a warm body that is willing to learn. Opportunities at Cenovus are split into three categories (smushed together). Professional jobs for which I don't qualify due to specific skill sets required, internships (of which they are many) but I am not a student, and Newfoundland jobs.

There is then a 'general application'. I'm assuming this is where I would apply. There is very, very little information on what 'general' is. At this point I would do fly in/fly out on a rotation.

I'll write up an applicable cover letter, and tailor my resume, as I do for all jobs. I will add, if this is the path to the great Albertan oilpatch of riches and glory, it's oddly buried.