Hear the Podcast: Tom Zizys on fixing our dysfunctional employment market and why you should stop blaming yourself

“Canadians have answered the call,” economist Tom Zizys told Career Buzz listeners (Feb. 11, 2015). “We have a large proportion of people with college and university degrees,” said Zizys, a Metcalf Foundation Fellow, but they’re “working in entry level service jobs that used to lead to something else but are more dead end jobs – which points to a larger dysfunction.”

“So many of our policies have been focused on the ‘supply side,'” explained Zizys. “We’re trying to fix those individuals who are looking for work or encouraging them to acquire skills by staying in school longer.” He says “we spend far less time looking at the ‘demand side.'”

If there’s one message from a policy perspective,” Zizys concluded, “we’ve got pay far more attention to employers and adjusting their practices.” Right on.

How do the clues apply to you? Zizys explained that when many employers look for candidates “they’re not looking within, or grooming people. They’re doing just in time hiring.” As a result, early career people “are not known to employers, and so they require credentials.” And that’s why advanced degrees and resumes and job search skills have become so important.

If you’re a job seeker, stop blaming yourself. Find an employer who invests in its workforce and develops talent within. Try Canada’s 100 best small and medium employers.

If you’re employer, read Zizys’ report, Better Work: The path to good jobs is through employers

Hear the whole interview also featuring Nicole Bendaly and  Leslie Bendaly of Kinect on what makes teams work well together.

*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA