Cerno Research Inc. Releases Employment Market Data Regarding Impact of RecessionSeptember 30, 2009 Toronto, Ontario - Cerno Research, div. of Owen Media Partners (OMP), Canada’s leading business media and information company, released study results today that shed new light on the changing employment market in industrial Canada.
Cerno Research’s results compared year over year revealed a 1.5% reduction in average total compensation year over year in their key unskilled labour benchmark position the General Labourer. This reduction was less steep than earlier predicted.
Further year over year comparison showed marginal to flat growth in total compensation at the 50th percentile for some administration positions.
Skilled and Professional positions at all levels bucked the trend, and in some cases presented impressive increases at the 50th percentile of total compensation - due in part to union contract increase, normal salary administration increases, and outlier success stories. However, another factor was layoffs, which created a “shortened bench” as many employers kept and protected their most highly skilled and senior employees.
Stephen Harrington, Projects Director with Cerno Research, comments, “The recession has changed industrial Canada, and there is every indication that many of the changes will constitute the ground floor of a new employment market reality for years to come. Overall we saw fewer employees reported to our benchmark positions, largely due to firms scaling down operations or conducting large layoffs. But many firms chose to protect the most senior or skilled employees available to them, laying off instead junior staff. As junior staff tends to be paid in lower percentiles we have seen a corresponding upward pressure on wages. The analogy best suited is a sports team shortening the bench, sticking with star players to get the team through a challenging period. Companies expect more of these star players, and over time we may see this shortened bench creating more upward wage pressure for skilled and professional employees in industrial Canada. There is plenty to see and debate in the data. The market has changed.”
Cerno Research studies the Canadian industrial wage market on an annual basis to prepare wage and benefit benchmarking reports for clients. Data was collected from primary sources only: Human Resource decision makers. The data was collected with a July 1st, 2009 effective date.
About Cerno Research
Cerno Research has been collecting wage research since 1994, and is a proud member of the Owen Media Partners group of companies. Cerno Research is the leading provider of industrial wage information in Canada, conducting the only national professional, error-checked, and industrially focused wage survey in the country. Every year Cerno Research examines pay, employment policy and benefits practices in nearly 1000 locations across the country.
Cerno Research’s goal is to help clients fully understand their competitiveness in as many industrial job categories as possible. Cerno Research’s results are rolled out into reports available for purchase by region, company size, union status and sub-industry.
About Owen Media Partners Inc.
Formed in 1995, with head office in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Owen Media Partners Inc. is a leading North American business media and information publisher for businesses and professionals. Owen Media Partners publishes through several distinct brands serving general B2B and industrial B2B information needs for the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K. and Europe markets. Over the next twelve months, almost 100 million users in over 100 countries will use OMP products to help make better informed decisions in the areas of finance, purchasing, sales, marketing, research, safety, engineering and human resources.
For further information, please contact:
Stephen Harrington, Project Director
Phone: 905-278-2751
Email: sharrington@cernoresearch.com
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