Think you'll be fired in the next year?
You probably don't want to even consider the question, but if you feel getting canned is unlikely, you'd be among the majority of Canadians. Canada scored an all-time high on the Global Career Confidence Index this past May, according to Right Management, a Philadelphia-based career consultancy.
Twice a year, the agency asks a few hundred people in 18 countries, two questions: what is the possibility of being laid off in the next year, and how difficult will it be to find a similar job with the same pay? The responses are incorporated into a single number, 100 representing absolute confidence. At 54.8, the confidence level of Canadians is up 20% from a low in November, 2004. Around 80% felt secure in their jobs, though nearly 70% said it would be somewhat or very hard to find another. America typically scores lower than Canada, and its workers have a bleaker view of the job market — 80% said finding employment would be difficult.
Thirteen countries reported higher scores than six months ago, proving soaring confidence isn't exclusively Canadian. But what's made us so confident? Right points to an increasingly healthy economy. The better it gets, so too do our confidence levels. That also means more job competition, however: workers get restless when they feel the market is good. So whether looking for work or not, keep your resumé ready.
