XPost: can.politics, bc.politics, ab.politics   
   XPost: ont.politics, man.politics, sk.politics   
   From: campbell@neotext.ca   
      
   On Fri, 28 Mar 2014 18:53:13 -0700, {~_~} Раиса wrote:   
      
   >>On Thu, 27 Mar 2014 13:56:26 -0700, {~_~} Раиса wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> "Kijiji's a great place to sell a bike, but this is no way to run an   
   >>> economy," said NDP finance critic Nathan Cullen after Question Period.   
   >   
   >   
   > On 3/27/2014 10:24 PM, Dhu on Gate wrote:   
   >> It's actually one of the places Stats Can should be looking.   
   >> Ground truth is difficult to find.   
   >   
   >   
   > You bet.   Let's run the country based on the number of job adverts in   
   > Kijiji.   
   > How 'bout they also use the horoscope section to predict the future of   
   > our elections and economic changes?   
   > Screw Stats Canada !   
      
   That's NOT what I said, and you know it.   
      
   Dhu   
      
   > __________________________________________   
   >   
   > March 26, 2014 - Tories defend use of Kijiji data in face of opposition   
   > ridicule   
   >   
   >   
   > Employment Minister defends decision to use website's data to support   
   > claims of growing skills shortage, saying site is 'the new classified ads'   
   >   
   > The Conservative government is defending its use of Kijiji to support   
   > its claims of a growing skills shortage in Canada, even though the   
   > Parliamentary Budget Officer says the website's wonky job data are   
   > throwing off the government's math.   
   >   
   > Ministers were peppered with questions Wednesday from opposition MPs who   
   > ridiculed the government for choosing to rely on data based on an   
   > outside software program that searches for online job ads – including on   
   > Kijiji – rather than reports from Statistics Canada. Those reports say   
   > surveys of employers show job vacancies are declining, not rising.   
   >   
   > "Kijiji's a great place to sell a bike, but this is no way to run an   
   > economy," said NDP finance critic Nathan Cullen after Question Period.   
   >   
   > The reaction followed a Globe and Mail report that revealed a key factor   
   > as to why job-vacancy data released by Finance Canada this year on   
   > budget day has been out of sync with other sources.   
   >   
   > Finance Canada's data is based on a software program created by Wanted   
   > Analytics that sends web spiders across online job boards to build a   
   > database of available positions. However, the Conference Board of   
   > Canada, which also uses Wanted Analytics, recently decided to remove   
   > Kijiji as a source because it was creating "instability."   
   >   
   > Labour and skills shortages were one of the key reasons Ottawa expanded   
   > Canada's controversial temporary foreign worker program. The number of   
   > temporary foreign workers reached more than 200,000 in 2012, nearly   
   > doubling the number from 2000. That rapid growth sparked concern that it   
   > was dampening wages and on-the-job training efforts, as well as acting   
   > as a disincentive to hire. It also sparked concern over abusive hiring   
   > practices, and the government has since tightened the rules.   
   >   
   > The PBO noted this week that by removing Kijiji as a source, the rising   
   > trend line highlighted by Finance Canada would instead become more of a   
   > flat line.   
   >   
   > Still, the government and the PBO agree that there are regional skills   
   > shortages, particularly in Saskatchewan.   
   >   
   > Federal Employment Minister Jason Kenney defended his government's use   
   > of Kijiji, but acknowledged there are technical concerns with the data   
   > including the need to weed out repeated postings for the same position.   
   >   
   > "People are laughing at Kijiji, but it's the new classified ads," he   
   > told CTV's Power Play. "I would just invite some of these economists –   
   > who sit in front of their spreadsheets of inadequate data trying to   
   > figure out the world – I wish they would actually go out into the real   
   > world and talk to employers like I do all the time."   
   >   
   > Mr. Kenney said critics should recognize the challenge of producing   
   > reliable labour data in a world of online job boards.   
   >   
   > "Here's the bottom line, everyone who is dealing with this debate should   
   > have a little bit of humility and admit that none of us know exactly   
   > what is going on in the labour market of today."   
   >   
   > Economist Don Drummond said better information can be produced at a cost   
   > of about $39-million a year. He was part of an advisory panel in 2009   
   > that made dozens of recommendations to improve labour-market data, yet   
   > few suggestions were implemented.   
   >   
   > The former TD chief economist would like to see one entity, such as Mr.   
   > Kenney's department Employment and Social Development Canada or   
   > Statscan, "pick up the baton" and take responsibility for more detailed   
   > and current labour market data at the national and provincial level.   
   >   
   > Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Kijiji said Wednesday the company was   
   > surprised to learn that its job postings are being collected and sent to   
   > the government to produce reports. Chris Harris, Kijiji's head of Jobs   
   > and Housing, said the job postings on the site are rising in part   
   > because the site itself has had major growth in terms of popularity.   
   >   
   > "We're not surprised that we may appear to be an outlier," he said in an   
   > e-mail.   
   >   
   > Labour market indicators help shape public policy on everything from the   
   > number of temporary foreign workers Canada admits each year to   
   > employment insurance rules and where to invest in skills training. A   
   > clear picture of vacancies can point to whether the labour market is   
   > tightening or seeing more slack. It can also guide policies that might   
   > encourage some workers to move from one province to another. It could   
   > also influence personal decisions of Canadians to move from one   
   > occupation, such as teaching, to a high-demand one, such as plumbing or   
   > carpentry.   
   >   
   > Liberal MP and deputy leader Ralph Goodale said the incident raises   
   > questions as to the way the Conservatives develop public policy.   
   >   
   > "To have a very informal anecdotal source of information trumping the   
   > government's own official source of statistics is bad public policy in   
   > the extreme," he said. "Especially now as there is accumulating evidence   
   > outside of Statistics Canada that Statistics Canada was indeed right."   
      
      
      
      
      
   --   
   Ne obliviscaris, vix ea nostra voco.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)