August 29, 2012 | Manitoba

Recent reports on the Canadian labour market highlight that gains are fairly consistent, though slower than earlier months such as March and April. Of all areas, the public sector has carried the employment rates and kept them at a steady pace. According to Statistics Canada, about 7,300 more people were working in June, only a slight dip from the previous month's total of 7,700 newly employed individuals.

The Financial Post reports that the public sector alone earned 38,900 jobs in June, which was a significant growth compared to the private sector, which lost 26,000. This increase "really stood out," Douglas Porter, deputy chief economist at BMO Capital Markets, told the news source.

"What it does show, despite all the dire headlines about spending cuts in the public sector, [is] that we're still seeing gains in things like healthcare and education," he said.

About 20,000 positions opened up for professionals seeking roles as practical nurses and other healthcare jobs, as well as opportunities in social work, such as addictions and community service workers.

Community and social service employees implement a broad range of social work programs in schools, community centers and medical offices, as well as personally assist clients in dealing with their own personal problems and addictions. These individuals can assume roles as child and youth service workers, group home employees, mental health professionals or women's shelter officials.

Most aspiring professionals in these types of fields fare well by finding career training programs at colleges that cater specifically to the social services sector. Young adults who have recently graduated from a program such as the Addictions and Community Service Worker program at CDI College are desirable candidates for a number of reasons. Not only do they have a relevant education in courses that teach how to manage individuals with addictions problems or psychological issues, but it also incorporates real-life experience as part of their program requirements. The college clinical placement includes 200 hours, or eight weeks, of working in a real-life community center, group home or other institution where they learn from colleagues who have years of experience in the field.

Students interested in pursuing a career in the public sector can enroll in healthcare courses at CDI College on topics such as the fundamentals of addiction, youth issues, interviewing techniques and secondary traumatic stress. For more information on the program, fill out the form on the right.