Calgary Economic Developments 2012 economic outlook

I went to the Calgary Economic Developments 2012 economic outlook luncheon yesterday. Craig Alexander, SVP and Chief Economist for TD Bank Group as well as Mario Lefebvre, Director of the Centre for Municipal Studies at the Conference Board of Canada both spoke and shared their views for 2012.

Overall, continuing volatility looks to be the major theme in the markets. A risk filled environment, the unresolved european economic crisis, fiscal challenges combined with polarized political parties in the US, inflation risk in developing countries as well as a weak and fragile recovery in developed counties continues to plague the global financial scene.

Most thought it was a grim and depressing message but I actually felt pretty good about it, especially living in Canada and more so in Calgary which will continue to lead economic growth (along with Saskatchewan). More importantly, economic recovery has finally spread to the labour market this year which was a missing piece to the puzzle previously and we have certainly felt the impact here at BluEra.

Sarah Hawitt

Download Craig Alexander presentation

Download Mario Lefebvre presentation

Executive Pay Under the Microscope

In Derek Sankey’s article “Executive Pay Under the Microscope” he gives a commentary of the current state to Executive compensation in Canada.  Highlighted are comments from Canadian compensation experts who discuss how companies are trending toward greater transparency with regard to their Executive compensation structures, in an effort to demonstrate to shareholders that executives are being paid for their performance.

Click here to view article

Strong Demand for Executive Talent Continues, According To AESC

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Second quarter data just released by the global Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) revealed a continued rise in senior executive recruitment activity worldwide following the industry’s return to growth since early 2010. The number of new executive searches rose +8% year-on-year (from Q2 2010 to Q2 2011), while the quarterly picture saw searches increase by +5.4% (from Q1 2011 to Q2 2011).

Most industries experienced a steady upward trend in the second quarter of 2011 with significant quarterly and yearly growth, including the Industrial, Consumer, Life Sciences/Healthcare and Financial Services sectors. Financial saw the most notable quarterly rise, up +19%, as it continued to regain its former leading market position. Technology was the only industry to fall in senior executive recruitment activity, both yearly (-3%) and quarterly (-6.7%), in Q2 2011.

AESC President, Peter Felix, commented: “During the past quarter executive search has once again shown considerable strength in most parts of the world, but especially in the emerging markets. Central/South America saw exceptional quarterly growth in the number of new searches started. The strength in other markets has been less consistent and there is some evidence that in established markets such as the UK, Germany and France there is a flattening of demand. Nevertheless the overall picture has been most encouraging. It only remains to be seen whether the volatility surrounding the debt crisis will affect top management’s willingness to continue investing in the executive talent that it needs for the longer term.”

A full copy of the AESC’s Q2 2011 State of the Executive Search Industry report is available upon request to AESC members and the press.

The Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) represents the best retained executive search consulting firms around the world and promotes the highest professional standards in the industry. Visit www.aesc.org for more information about AESC, The International Executive Search Directory or BlueSteps, the AESC’s career management service for senior executives.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110811005191/en/Strong-Demand-Executive-Talent-Continues-AESC

Several governments are threatening to impose quotas for women in the boardroom. This is a bad idea.

Having women in business pays.  This has been proven time and time again.  However, imposing quotas is not the best way to do it according to the attached article from the July 21st Economist.   As this article says, “companies run with more women in top jobs perform better than those run by men only.”  Think about hiring women simply to add the possibility of a different perspective for your company.

http://www.economist.com/node/18988694

Economic Updates

Jeff Fogwill, Senior Director, Campaign & Resource Development, with the United Way of Calgary & Area has put together a great list of Economic updates.

 

 

 

 

  • CIBC Metro Monitor Reports / Stats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harness the power of LinkedIn

According to Kendra Reddy of the Financial Post “In this era of choice and speed, being findable is critical“  Read her thoughts on why LinkedIn is so important for job seekers.  Read her article: http://business.financialpost.com/2011/03/29/hr-harness-the-power-of-linkedin/

Invite the BluEra team to join you on LinkedIn

http://www.linkedin.com/company/bluera/edit

Alberta’s Best Workplaces

We are honoured to be working with some of Alberta’s Best Workplaces, and we take pride in knowing we have helped build their high performing teams.  Read the full article: http://albertaventure.com/2011/05/the-winners-albertas-best-workplaces-2011/

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