Is it true that there are not many good jobs in Canada?

Question

I came across this website - www.notcanada.com - which states that many immigrants come to Canada and are disappointed since they cannot work in thier chosen profession primarily due to lack of Canadian experience and qualifications. Many also say they have been cheated to believe that many white collar jobs exist and end up driving taxis and sweeping floors. I was considering moving to Canada, but so many people have come back from there and all cannot find their chosen jobs despite being born and educated in Canada with degree level qualifications. Is this really the reality of the situation? Some have even said the taxes in Canada are insane and even with a relatively decent job, it is impossible to save money, is this all true? It is quite a stark contrast to the USA where money literally grows on trees and there are excellent jobs for everyone, and now I'm seriously thinking it wouldn't be worthwhile going to Canada, and perhaps I should try going straight to the USA.

Answer 1

Being a Canadian, I can safely say that jobs are indeed difficult to come by for educated people in Canada. There are many menial, semi-skilled and unskilled jobs - as such there are lots of JOBS as such, but hardly any jobs for the highly skilled and educated. Having graduated about 2 years ago with an MBA from one of the top universities in Canada, I was unable to secure any decent job within that period. Even universities admit that more than 50% of their placements are actually in the United States, without which they would have a poor placement rate. There are far too many graduates being produced by Canadian universities for their own economy to absorb - I am a fine example - let alone foreign graduates! The truth which most Canadians don't want to acknowledge is that there is limited scope here, and, even if you do get a decent white-collar job, your pay and the taxes will leave you with a meagre amount. Basically, put in straight forward terms - it is impossible to become rich in this country! You can try everything you want ranging from business and various different jobs, all have their limitations and after taxes, you are left with peanuts. Of course, many of us say health care and education is 'free', but the high taxation rates and VAT commensurate for them of course. However, if you are looking for a safe and secure life for your family, without the greed for making more money and remaining more or less hand to mouth for the rest of your life - come to Canada! I have been running my own trucking business here and its not all that bad, but I would never leave Canada because I'm a proud Canadian. However, please do some research and be warned this is not a 'paradise' that most people from Asia and other parts of the world consider it to be!

Answer 2

It's hard to comment on this, as you don't say where you are coming from. In some cases, such as physicians and surgeons, lawyers and that sort of professional, there are Canadian boards to pass, to ensure that you meet Canadian standards and are familiar (in the case of the legal profession) with Canadian law. That is why some immigrants are disappointed when they come -- they expect they will simply be able to step into a professional position similar to what they had in the country they left. So they are working at whatever jobs they can get until they can pass the Canadian boards.
Taxes in Canada are far from insane, when you consider that education is free from grade one to grade twelve, and health care is free.
If the people you were talking to were born and educated to degree level in Canada, it's hard to understand the difficulty they are having. And where are they going back to if they were born in Canada?
You are welcome to try going to the United States, but you know, of course, that money does not literally grow on trees, and there is a high rate of unemployment. There is also the little matter of the draft to consider. But perhaps you are over draft age and don't have to think about that.
Still, if this is what you believe, then perhaps you would be better going directly to the United States, as it sounds as though that is where you want to end up eventually. If so, good luck.

Answer 3

I've heard a lot about that website. It is EXTREMELY anti-Canada and anti-Canadian. I would guess it is full of half truths at best, outright lies at worst.

I would say that professionals dealing with a lack of Canadian qualifications are going to run into similar situations when moving to any foreign country. Heck, we see that same problem in the US all the time - taxi drivers with PhDs and whatnot.

Canadian taxes do tend to be higher than those in the states, but there are A LOT more government subsidized programs (like medical benefits) in Canada than in the US. It also varies provence to provence

Whoever told you that money literally grows on trees in the US and that there are excellent jobs for all has handed you a huge pile of lies. I know a Canadian who married and American and moved to the states who hasn't been able to find a job for the last few months.

Bottom line is this: A person has to do their research first before moving ANYWHERE.

Answer 4

I'm not sure, I think it is real. The web site does have the ad running on the careers page and Immigration Canada will issue an NOC 8431 Work Visa for Temporary Farm workers. St Cesaire is a small farming community south of Montreal. I suspect this is very "dirty work", and I think most Canadians would prefer Welfare to wading around in Chicken crap all day so while they may take the job they quit a few days later, Foreign workers tend to be more motivated and even if they are not, they often do not have the resources to leave. I think that by making it a job requirement to be able to read & write in English, they have eliminated almost all the local workers who would be French speaking.

Answer 5

This website appears to be anti-Canadian propoganda. There are many immigrants in the USA who are in exactly the same boat. While there is some truth to these claims, they're blown way out of proportion. If you plan to emigrate to a country it's a good idea to do all your research, esp. in terms of work related issues. You cannot just assume that a degree you earned in your country of origin will be accepted in another country. Also, it's best to have a job lined up before you emigrate to another country instead of just hoping for the best after you've already made the move.

The taxes in Canada are only a little bit higher than in the States (31% compared to 29%) and we have healthcare, which means *everyone* is entitled to free medical care no matter what their financial barriers may be. Our taxes are still much lower than most other countries including the UK, and then it also depends on what part of the country you're living in (some provinces are lower than others).

I truly feel that this is the best country in the world in which to live and raise a family in, I wouldn't choose anywhere else. We have a sense of culture and community and we also embrace multiculturalism. Yes, our immigration policies have flaws but the government is working to resolve them. And if you seriously believe money grows on trees in the US, you're fooling yourself. Canada has a higher life expectancy rate than the US and has been ranked the #1 country to live in by the UN several times and ranks higher than the US on the Human Development Index AND on the Human Poverty Index.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_Canada

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_Human_Development_Index

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Poverty_Index

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada

Answer 6

uhhh, probably depends where you are wanting to go, I mean Canada is big, I live in Alberta, and their are 'Help wanted' signs everywhere, most jobs now are starting close to $10 an hour, and its always increasing! We only have one tax for 6%, taxes kind of suck, but I always seem to get a nice rebate check in the end of it. Its hard to find a nice job here if you dont know anyone. My cousin's boyfriend from Ontario came up wanting to get a job in the oil industry, cause you make good money. He went to an employment office, sent off almost 50 resumes in 2 days, and phoned lots of places too, he didn't get one call back! Then he met one of my friends who got him a phone number, and 2 weeks later he found himself doing what he came to Alberta to do. He gets almost $300 a day, as a well tester, and his job is fairly slack, he always brags about how his busy day is when he's able to watch 3 movies!
I work in a science center for $11.50 an hour, its fairly slack too, and the people I work with are awesome, and there are postings at my work for 6 positions as it is, so I dont think you'll have trouble. You might have to start off with a crappy job till you find exactly what you had in mind
basically it depends where and what you are looking for, its best when you have connections I guess, but I would try to set something up before you come. For the heads up in Alberta, students right now are finding it hard to find nice affordable places to live in, so thats something to think about if you come, just plan ahead, and you'll be fine.
Hopefully I can say "Welcome to Canada", its awesome!

Answer 7

You should rephrase that question because there're tons of good jobs up here; especially in Alberta.

Because of some backward law up here, a lot of foreign unversity degrees are not recognized. I used to be a security supervisor for a contract company and I've met people (who were my subordinates) who are dentists, architects, engineers, hell, even a certified doctor from Russia, and yet, they're making nine bucks an hour. From what the doctor tells me, he has to go through a bunch of testing in order to have his medical license. Testing like, english, english-to-russian medical terms, Canadian history, even Canadian manners, things like that.

But if you're coming up from the states, you should be fine. For some reason, our government recognizes degrees from there.

Answer 8

Come to Alberta! We have so many jobs and are desperate for workers. As for living, I think it is quite reasonable depending on where you are. My sis bought a 500sq ft condo for $250,000 in the States (and it's OLD--as in at least a hundred). I bought a brand new condo 2,000sq ft for $150,000 last year. Calgary, and Northern Alberta such as Fort McMurray are pretty expensive places to be in Alberta but if you work up in Fort Mc, they pay a KILLING AND better yet some companies will pay for your living expenses. It's worth taking a look at!

Answer 9

Canada has so many jobs. Pay high taxes and work hard.