No country for white collars

[border_humper]

https://archive.is/2026.04.01-184542/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-canada-economy-white-collar-workers-labour-market/

Jobless white-collar workers are finding it harder to return to the work force.
LMIC’s dashboard shows a precipitous drop in demand for occupational skills that a few years ago would be hard to imagine. Job openings for computer, software and web designers and developers, meanwhile, are down almost 18 per cent as of March 31.
Roles for auditors, accountants and investment professionals are also off by nearly 18 per cent. Human resources and business service professionals haven’t been spared; demand for their skills fell by 13 per cent.
Soft skills that so many white-collar workers have been told for years are critical to career progress appear less so now. Jobs listing problem-solving abilities have dropped by about 9 per cent and innovation by about 11, teamwork is down eight, leadership off seven and communication by six.
Abilities that once made the difference between being hired or passed over are losing relevance. Jobs calling for French-language skills? Down by roughly 13 per cent. Writing skills? About 11 per cent down, nearly the same as the fall in demand for Microsoft Excel skills.

Hard out there for the white collar class.

 

[ex_libris]

Boomers in my profession are seeing the writing on the wall and getting the fuck out while they can. I'm lucky if I have five years left.

 

[ChevChelios]

Would you advise anyone to become a librarian at this point in time, or is the entire profession on the verge of extinction?

 

[ex_libris]

Honestly don't know. There will still be a need for some reference work and collection/subscription management but I have no idea what that will look like a decade from now.

 

[ChevChelios]

@ex_libris: The reason I ask is that I know a well-meaning young person who is on the verge of taking courses in library science and I suspect that it's a waste of time, but I would never say anything unless I knew for certain (and goodness knows it mightn't make a difference anyway -- it's not as if the young ever listen to the old)

 

[ex_libris]

@ChevChelios
To sharpen research skills, sure. For a career...eh it depends. There will be libraries and stewards of collections but roles will evolve. The profession is becoming more instructional based than collections gatekeeper based, which is fine for what it is. Go to The Partnership job board, good window into the job market. I do NOT recommend public librarianship, at all.

 

[ex_libris]

Also Western is the best library school out there. Only grads I would hire.

 

[RightOfSask]

Learn to plumb.

 

[Hirudinea]

Be a snake charmer?

 

[CaptainTrouble]

Who knew you can't grow an economy on sunny ways...

People will blame AI but in reality, it's a combination of many factors, mostly involving our shitty government. Too many regulations, impossible to deal with Native Indians and tax high of taxes. Things have got noticeably worse under Trudeau too. The last decade has been nothing but more and more bureaucracy (government regulations). This is having a big impact on reducing our productivity which reduces growth and leads to less jobs for everyone.

 

[d01tg0d0wn]

Alberta appears immune so far and infact there is demand for these white collars but for how long unless we seperate.

Carney is crushing this country and every province big time right now and it appears he is aiming to speed up the countries demise. God help us if he gets a majority

 

[YQRanon]

Hopefully, a bunch of those white collars are HR. The most usless and destructive fuckers I have ever seen.