Unemployment or not?

Unemployment lowest in a decade?

If one were to add in those not looking for work, between 7,000 and 10,000 the true unemployment rate would be closer to 15% or higher and not the 4.8% reported. The way these stats are determined, cold calls to 150 phone numbers, is very suspect and really does not make the prospects of finding a job any brighter. As stated in the Daily News " data comes with a standard warning the Statistics Canada that it should be used "with caution," due to the small sample size."

Just think if the stats were true then former CEO of NEDCorp would be right in saying high unemployment in Nanaimo is an Urban Myth. Perhaps we should give her her job back? Yeah right!

T'is a fact that 40% of jobs in Nanaimo are part time and one cannot live and support their family with only part time work.  If things on the employment scene were really that good then why is it that meal programs and food banks are seeing huge increases in the number of folk needing their services?

News Items:

Stunning job turnaround as Nanaimo goes from worst to among best in province

Nanaimo's jobless rate lowest in a decade

Unemployment rate continues to fall

Economic Development - Nanaimo

Below are a couple of news items in a sense related to the prsentation given by the CEO of Nanaimo's new Economic Development Corporation at Mondays City Council Meeting . The CEO Susan Cudahy is not getting off to a great start as can be seen by the news items and the comments made on these items. Following the news items is a letter I wrote to the editor in response.

March 29
Philip Wolf: Cynicism has legitimate roots for Nanaimo residents

March 28
Economic development CEO wants to end negativity about the city
Editorial: Nanaimo could use return of civic pride

As one of those that frequently speak my mind I want to say I contend the vocal minority aka. naysers actually care a great deal for this city and recognize its potential to become great.

Should we sweep our opinions under the rug, gloss over the facts, or like the three monkeys; hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil? I think not. In recognizing potential one must also recognize flaws. Only then can we work to make things better.

Statements like Ms. Cudahay’s ‘the idea we have a lot of unemployed or that people can’t find jobs here is a bit of an urban legend,’ are a perfect example of what raises people ire. Perhaps Ms. Cudahy would like the newly created position of Communication Manager with the City.

Some not to pretty truths about Nanaimo; 18th worst of 92 health areas for Economic Hardship in BC; 15th – More than twice the provincial average - for those on Income Assistance and E.I.; 15% of the population of Nanaimo receiving some form of Income Assistance; 11th highest for youth 19 – 24 on income assistance; 40% of the workforce has only part time jobs; 7.8 percent of families live on less than $20,000 per year; 26% of wage earners earn less than $15,000.00 per year, $3000.00 below established poverty levels.

Sifting through spin there is much the new Economic Development Corporation is doing that makes sense and can have a positive impact however let’s not gloss over the reality. I am proud to be associated with those that are willing to speak out; I am proud to call Nanaimo home; I am proud to be working towards making the community a better place for ALL.

Poverty In Nanaimo

Poverty Presentation 2012
Gord Fuller – Advocate for Social Change

“If the poor weren't so conveniently invisible, maybe we'd come to our moral senses and devise a national strategy for eliminating poverty.” Toronto Star 2007
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Imagine yourself in a state of constant dread. That's poverty.
Poverty means hunger, in­adequate nutrition, substandard and unsafe housing, or no housing at all.

Poverty means always trying to find a way to provide adequate food and safe shelter for you or your family and sometimes sacrificing one or the other.

Research shows that poverty is a fundamental determinant of both physical and mental health, closely linked to low school achieve­ment, lower literacy rates and one of the strongest predictors of being involved with the criminal justice system. Poverty results in higher public health care and criminal justice costs.
BC consistently has one of the highest poverty rates in Canada and has had the highest Child Poverty rates since 2001.

Governments commonly measure poverty by Low Income Cut Offs, an income threshold below which a family will likely devote a larger share of its income on the necessities of food, shelter and clothing than the average family, and spending more than 30% of Income towards the cost of housing.

Ø Nanaimo currently ranks 18th worst of 92 health areas for Economic Hardship in BC.

Ø Using established poverty measures almost half the population of Nanaimo would be living below the poverty line

Ø Those on income assistance and Senior Citizens with access only to government pensions live thousands of dollars below the poverty line and commonly pay more than 50% of their income towards the cost of housing.

Ø Nanaimo ranks 15th – More than twice the provincial average - for those on Income Assistance and E.I.

Ø Approximately 15% of the population of Nanaimo, including 1 in 4 children, are receiving some form of Income Assistance.

Ø Nanaimo ranks 11th highest for youth 19 – 24 on income assistance

Ø 25% of those on I. A. are single parent families

Ø If a family of four living on income assistance were to provide a healthy diet, as outlined by the Dieticians of Canada, their costs including housing would result in a negative balance.

Ø Of regions in BC with population centers the size of Nanaimo or larger we have the dubious distinction of ranking number one for youth at risk.

Ø 40% of the workforce in the Nanaimo region has only part time jobs

Ø 48% tenants and 21% homeowners pay more than 30% income on housing costs

Ø As subsets of the general population immigrants and first nations experience far higher levels of poverty. In the case of First Nations, 50% are unemployed and youth have a 5 to 8 time’s higher rate of suicide.

Nanaimo Food/Meal Distribution
· Nanaimo 7-10 Club (Breakfast & Bag Lunch: Approx. 80,000 meals.
· Loaves & Fishes Food Bank, 7 distribution centres: Approx. 45,000 hampers, ¼ to families.
· Salvation Army: Approx 40,000 low cost, $1.00 lunch $2.00 dinner, meals to the public per year.
· St. Andrews Church (Departure Bay): Weekly Lunch serving between 80 – 100 youth & 40 – 50 adults.
· On Eagles Wing: weekly dinner: serves approx. 100 people
· St. Paul’s Church: monthly lunch serves approx 80 people.
· FoodShare Society: sponsors 50 families per month for good food box. Summer Lunch Munch program provides approx 4000 meals er month during summer.
· SD 68: 40 schools provide food i.e. healthy snack, 6 have a formal meal program

Current practices of attempting to alleviate poverty can actually trap people in poverty. BC needs to develop a poverty reduction plan; the costs of not doing so far exceed the costs of poverty reduction.

If the health care costs of the poorest 20% of British Columbians were reduced by raising their incomes it would save BC’s public health care system: $1.2 billion per year.

The estimated cost of a comprehensive poverty reduction plan in BC, per year:
$3 to $4 billion, the current cost of maintaining the status quo $8.1 to $9.2 billion a year.

A commitment to poverty reduction means taking action to:
Ø End homelessness, and make sure all British Columbians have access to safe, affordable housing;
Ø Make sure no one in BC goes hungry;
Ø Improve pay and working conditions for people in low-wage jobs;
Ø Index minimum wage
Ø Provide access to high quality, public child care; and
Ø Make training and education more accessible to low-income earners
Ø create truly accessible child care

“The enemy is not poverty sickness and disease. The enemy is a set of institutions and interests that are advantaged by clienthood, that need dependency, masked by service. We are in a struggle against clienthood. We must reallocate the power, authority, and legitimacy that have been stolen by the great institutions of society. We must commit ourselves to the reallocation of power to the people we serve so that we no longer will need to serve.” (McKnight, J. The Careless Society: Community and Its’ Counterfeits [1995]).

Sadly an industry around poverty has developed that does not necessarily put the needs of the people first but that of the agency. It is time for that to change; time to eliminate poverty pimping and hence eliminate poverty itself.


Excellent resource:
http://bcpovertyreduction.ca/

More on Unemployment

Hate to say I told you so but I certainly called this one.

Nanaimo's unemployment rate continues steady climb

Couple Letters - Unemployment & Poverty

A recent story in the Daily News Nanaimo welfare rates up, provincial numbers down mentions an 8% increase in income assistance application since the same period last year. This is a bit misleading in that it only talks about those applications in the expected to work category. Truth be told there are approximately 13,000 people or more on income assistance.

Another story Jobeless rate in Nanaimo drops 1% in one month for which I wrote this first letter seems to contradict the above though reality is without proper disclosure of numbers pretty much anything is up for interpretation. The 2nd letter briefly mentions the higher rate Jobless rate in Nanaimo climbs over last years numbers but also talks about BC's record of longstanding Child Poverty.

In a society such as ours it is shameful the rates of poverty and homelessness exist in the numbers they do.


July 16, 2010
Unemployment Rates

The fact that unemployment in Nanaimo dropped from 9% to 8% in June may not be cause for jubilation. Generally an increase in employment usually takes place during the summer though these are primarily low paying service based jobs with little likelihood of permanency. Still there are no real statistics to say an increase in employment in Nanaimo is the reason for the decrease and so perhaps other reasons should be explored.

One reason might be apparent when looked at in conjunction to the rise of the vacancy rate in Nanaimo to 4.4% in June. A correlation between the drop in unemployment and the rise in vacancy rates is not unfathomable and perhaps both are due simply to people leaving the community for better prospects elsewhere.

Then, of course you have those on EI whose claims may have run out and until they apply and are catalogued as Income Assistance recipients will be in limbo statistically. That is of course if they aren’t already among those who have migrated elsewhere.

One thing that is evident is the decrease to unemployment will have little or no effect on the endemic poverty that exists in the community. As a service based economy Nanaimo is affected by lower wages and part time employment, both of which affect the living standards of families

As summer wanes the jobs created for the season will end and unemployment will climb in Nanaimo as it inevitably does.


June 25, 2010

Re Child Poverty Rates

So once again BC tops the provinces for the highest child poverty rates in Canada. Since coming to power in 2001 the Provincial Government of BC has ensured this dubious honour being imparted for one of the longest continuous periods of any province.

While the Child Poverty numbers may have dropped, it is important to note the statistics this is based on are from the boom times of 2007, across BC they in no way reflect the reality of today in Nanaimo. At 9% Nanaimo has one of the highest unemployment rates in the province.

This is based on employable income assistance and employment insurance recipients. It does not take into account the many income assistance recipients categorized as persons with persistent multiple barriers, persons with disability or the many families that are exempt from searching for work if they have a child under the age of three. With all of the above we are looking at over well over 13,000 people.

Nanaimo’s overall poverty rate, when one takes into account low income cut offs, the income a person or family needs to be categorized above the poverty line, or based on a person or family spending more than 30% of their income on housing, would put poverty rates at close to 50% for the population in Nanaimo.

Don’t get me wrong, and lest I paint too bleak a picture, Nanaimo is a great place to live overall and its citizens would likely be well above average when it comes to volunteerism and giving.