At Home: The Money Question
As Canada rises in world economics, Canadians as a whole are starting to become wealthier. But there’s a dark side that might take the edge off the celebration: we’re also getting deeper in debt.
As The Globe and Mail reports, ?Canadians are getting richer, but are saddled with troubling levels of debt.?
The numbers from Statistics Canada show that ?national net worth rose 3 per cent in the second quarter of the year,? and ?among Canadian families, household net worth rose 0.7 per cent.? Rising property values are a factor in the increase.
However, statistics also show that consumer debt has risen ?again to a record level, having declined over the previous six months.? The concern is that households may be having difficulty ?[juggling] their finances,? which could prove disastrous when interest rates rise in the future.
The measure of debt is expressed in the ratio of ?credit market debt to disposable income,? and this past quarter it rose ?to 163.4 per cent from 162.1 per cent in the first three months of the year . . . a dangerous level.?
Some economists, however, point to positive trends such as ?gains in household net worth and income, [and] the moderation in household debt growth points,? one told reporters.
Around the World: So You Think You Can Dance
We’ve all heard of the interview from hell?the rude interviewer, the sexual harasser, the comedy of errors?but it became a reality for a group of interviewees attempting to land a sales assistant job at a UK electronics chain.
As Reuters reports, a Cardiff Currys Megastore asked the interviewees to ?perform dance routines during team building exercises.?
One job seeker told reporters that ?everyone initially thought it was a joke,? adding that he ?ended up . . . doing . . . rubbish robotics in my suit in front of a group of strangers.? He also said that one ?middle aged guy looked really upset as he danced to a rap song.”
Currys headquarters has ?issued an apology,? insisting that dance-offs are not part of the formal interview process for the chain. In an official statement, Currys said that it was ?extremely disappointed that one of the management team at the store in question did not follow . . . official recruitment processes.? The chain is offering interviewees a second chance at an ?opportunity to demonstrate how they can contribute to our business.?
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