People Looking For Ontario Jobs Are Over It & Think Companies Should Have To Post Salaries
Ontario jobs are apparently ripe and ready for the taking if you ask Premier Doug Ford, but the story for those actually looking for a job in Ontario right now is sounding a whole lot different.
On top of rising interest rates in Canada and the cost of living, people who are job hunting seem to be getting more and more annoyed with the Ontario job market, specifically when it comes to salaries and whether or not companies post a salary range for a position they're trying to fill.
In a recent thread on Reddit, a post asking, "what is happening in the job market?" received hundreds of responses. The original poster said they unexpectedly found themselves on the job hunt and called the process a "sh*t show."
"They're making you jump through hoops," they said about the job application process with several companies. "A screening call, followed up by 2-3 interviews, writing sample, and reference check. The process is taking weeks just to find out in the end that you didn’t get the position."
from askTO
More than how long it takes, people seem quite frustrated with how salary expectations seem to play a role.
"I’ve noticed they’ll ask how much pay you’re looking for during a screening call which is frustrating because you know there’s a wrong answer. I’m also seeing a lot of jobs posted with no salary listed, so it’s almost like they’re just shopping for the cheapest person," one person commented.
from askTO
Another commenter explained how certain US states require salaries to be posted on all job ads, which is something they think should also be required in Ontario, arguing it "makes searching for jobs so much easier."
"I've stopped even applying to places that don't post a salary," someone else wrote, adding they feel companies are "100% shopping for the cheapest person," and called it "honestly disgusting."
Others in the thread suggested job seekers ask about the salary range for the role first, so the pressure isn't put on you while you're trying to make a good first impression.
If the job you're applying to doesn't have a salary, there are certainly some resources you can use to figure out what would be an acceptable range, with the average salary for all kinds of different positions posted on job sites like Glassdoor and Indeed.
How is the job market in Ontario?
Of course, it depends on who you ask.
"We saw last month another 42,000 people finding jobs," said Doug Ford at a press conference earlier this week, when asked a question about the bulk of employers hiring right now offering very low-paying jobs with not much in the way of requirements. "We're putting a billion dollars into training unskilled people to make sure that they have a skilled job that they can go into."
"There are some lower-paying jobs but there's a lot of higher-paying jobs, too," Ford said.
But while the Premier might paint a pretty picture for anyone in Ontario that's looking for work, according to recent report from Indeed, job seekers are looking more and more outside of the province for work, specifically when it comes to job in tech, engineering, and remote opportunities.
What is a good salary in Ontario?
According to Talent.com, the average salary in Ontario in 2023 is $41,925 or $21.50/hour, which is a tough salary to live on in most Ontario cities.
