zardoz said:
A huge amount depends on what you do, where you go and your level of experience. There is no "one size fits all" answer to the question of jobs/benefits.
agreed. it's going to depend on the industry and type of employment. generally part time jobs will not have paid sick/vacation days. when working full time (and even on full time contract at some places), there will be paid sick/vacation. this isn't unique to canada, and i'd say canadian employers are quite generous compared to the US. my husband is in a union for the city and he gets 4 weeks vacation, plus enough sick time that equals short term disability for most places. i work for a private company and get 3 weeks vacation AND 3 weeks sick. most places will give at least 2 weeks vacation and sick... that's pretty standard.
personally i haven't found any "negatives" for moving here, and i haven't found it to be more difficult to get work than in the us. there are more people than good paying jobs no matter if you're in canada or another country. i'd argue there's LESS competition in canada since there are less people here, and in my experience it was easier to find employment here than in the us. for me, in the us, i was a small fish in a large pond. here i'm a bigger fish in a smaller pond, and my skills/work ethics are highly valued. not all places are going to have a lot of opportunity and not all places will have limited opportunities. people with very specific skills (not general) will find it easier to find full time employment. for those like me who have more general experience, it's not impossible to do. it takes time, effort, and sometimes doing jobs that are "below" education/experience level to get references. i worked part time for a year, then used that job to leverage myself into a full time position. i'm sure i could have been successful after 6 months as well.
for me i love the overall quality of life here. people are less stressed, friendlier and more respectful of eachother. i appreciate the gun safety laws and even the new "distracted driving" law in ontario. i don't mind the higher taxes because of what i get in return (healthcare, safe roads that are maintained, clean neighborhoods, snow removal, etc.). There are also a ton of free services for newcomers including language classes, mentorship/job search programs, etc. As for most things in life, you get out what you put in.
what isn't ideal to me are the high gas prices and the low value of the loonie. exchanging money to us is brutal right now... i wish it would go back up to a reasonable rate!
