MacLac
Senior Member
White collar jobs are few and far between……if you consider call Center jobs as white collar? Then yes, you’re bang on….YYC is actively gaining more call center jobs……lol
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Edmonton Companies News & Discussion
- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
Edmcowboy11
Senior Member
Well this is where some business leaders but more importantly our city council has to go out and start promoting our city more and more and being far more active in trying to attract businesses into our city.
Gronk!
Senior Member
Today, we’re excited to officially welcome the Institute of Health Economics (IHE) as our newest tenant at our API office! With a long-standing partnership built on collaboration, we’ve been proud… | API
Today, we’re excited to officially welcome the Institute of Health Economics (IHE) as our newest tenant at our API office! With a long-standing partnership built on collaboration, we’ve been proud to work alongside IHE to advance evidence-based innovation in Alberta’s life sciences sector...
www.linkedin.com
David A
Senior Member
I agree. Actually many people in other bigger Canadian cities now work in white collar jobs, so they are not few and far between, except maybe here. In this regard Edmonton seems a bit of an anomaly stuck in the past.
Call centre jobs are not the greatest, but I wouldn't turn my nose up on them either. We need a more healthy and balanced variety of jobs to sustain economic activity throughout the city, not just on the industrial fringes.
ChazYEG
Senior Member
Honest question, mate: why is it that you seem to think that getting these so-called call centre jobs (which I don't entirely agree with) is a bad thing and, more importantly, why do you think getting those would exclude us from getting other kinds of jobs as well?
I'm happy to diss on Calgary as much as the next man, where it makes sense, but your math isn't mathing... Both their median and average income are higher than Edmonton's, and the gap has been growing. Their employment levels are also healthier. So something doesn't add up in your calculations.
Also, even if they are getting these call centre jobs, what's wrong with them? It's an honest job, would put food on the tables of many families, help many students struggling to manage life, would get some more life downtown and people walking around (and maybe some even moving so they don't need cars, which would make living on a lower wage a lot easier). Any jobs are better than no jobs, dude.
David A
Senior Member
I suspect some of the sentiment in Edmonton about call centres may be affected by what happened years ago when the city offered incentives to attract a fairly high profile one to take up unused space and help boost downtown. Yes, it was around for a while and some others even did follow, but for whatever reasons it did not last maybe reinforcing a tenuous nature related to this type of work.
I don't have a problem with them and agree jobs are jobs, so while I am ok with making an effort to get them, I would have reservations about offering financial incentives again to attract them.
I don't have a problem with them and agree jobs are jobs, so while I am ok with making an effort to get them, I would have reservations about offering financial incentives again to attract them.
archited
Senior Member
Call Centers are changing their employment model to work-from-home and to third-world countries -- the previous mode is not a sustainable employment model.
David A
Senior Member
Yes, I know someone who worked at home here in Edmonton taking calls for a Canadian retail business owned by a large US company until he retired a couple of years ago.
It was not high paying, but it actually generally seemed like a fairly decent job, however a lot is now shifting overseas.
MacLac
Senior Member
That’s my whole point. NA shifted call centres overseas and now they are returning like gangbusters cause YYC has rolled out the red carpet for them due to: cheap as Fack real estate DT, in particular the Bay building for $5sq/ft and an abundance of cheap Indian labor. The same labor pool that worked call centres in their mother countries. Do you guys NOT see the irony here? Also, all the stats that Ian posts all the time showing YYC’s “Fintech” sexual prowess compared to YEG’s. This is a complete joke!!! Fintech equals call Center…….I guess I’m the only one who sees and knows this and wants to knock YYC down a peg or two….
ChazYEG
Senior Member
I do not give a flying fork about pegging Calgary down or whatever.
Matter of fact is that Edmonton has that same kind of cheap labour supply you just mentioned (regardless of nationality, and that was an incredibly racist comment, by the way), and these people need jobs too. If we can't create other jobs that can sustain our population growth, I see no problem with the so-called call centre jobs.
You also refuse to address my point that your logic does not match reality. Calgary's median income is higher than Edmonton's, and it has been growing (notice that I say median because averages are super skewed), which means they have more, and are attracting more, higher paying jobs.
I love that Edmonton is becoming a biotech and pharmaceutical Nexus, and it's amazing that it has so many great high paying blue collar jobs, but we need to attract jobs for people in Finance, Engineering, Tech, etc... And yes, we also need to attract entry level jobs. Even those are hard to get nowadays I'm Edmonton (the very reason why I was forced to leave the city).
MacLac
Senior Member
All good Bro, I’m just a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude. You don’t have to be on board, wasn’t my intent to appear racist to you…..can’t explain the median income” thing. I read articles all day every day about YYC’s Fintech being disguised as Call Center….thats my point in a nutshell…..I’m just trying to expose it
MacLac
Senior Member
UFA Celebrates Groundbreaking of New Distribution Centre Near Leduc
In a bold move to strengthen Alberta’s agricultural supply chain and enhance service to its members and customers, United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative Ltd. (“UFA”) is officially breaking ground on a new purpose-built Distribution Centre (DC) just south of Edmonton, ne...
media.ufa.com
MacLac
Senior Member
I spoke too soon! The one time YYC loses a call center rather than gain one. YYC can't even win for losing!!!
Quick Smitty! Sign an MOU insisting that they stay!....lol
calgaryherald.com
Quick Smitty! Sign an MOU insisting that they stay!....lol
Union slams what it calls WestJet outsourcing call centre jobs from Calgary to El Salvador
WestJet's moving hundreds of call centre jobs from Calgary to El Salvador is a betrayal of its local workers, says a union.
calgaryherald.com
David A
Senior Member
I have mixed feelings about this. The $600 a month there may go a long way, allow someone there to support their family and better their lives, but someone in YYC may have trouble finding another or a better job.I spoke too soon! The one time YYC loses a call center rather than gain one. YYC can't even win for losing!!!
Quick Smitty! Sign an MOU insisting that they stay!....lol
Union slams what it calls WestJet outsourcing call centre jobs from Calgary to El Salvador
WestJet's moving hundreds of call centre jobs from Calgary to El Salvador is a betrayal of its local workers, says a union.
Some staff in call centres I have dealt with in India or Philippines are fairly proficient in English and helpful. Hopefully the cost savings from this will also allow the airline to maintain and improve service.
MacLac
Senior Member
Who knew that WJ has or rather had - 1200 call center agents in YYC. I can see the worm turning now that foreign ownership of the airline is at 49% now. All the Smitty MOU's in the world wont save them now.....