Canadians have good news and bad news on the job front this Labour Day.
The good news is that more people are employed now compared to Labour Day last year.
The bad news is that it's not a lot more.
The most recent statistics from July show that 1.47 million Canadians are looking for work.
Statistics Canada says that's about 84,000 fewer people than in July 2009.
With the economy slowly recovering from the recession, and media reports about job gains and laid off employees returning to work, Canadians are feeling good about their job security, according to a new poll.
A Harris-Decima poll of 1,008 Canadians commissioned by job search website Monster.ca suggested that 57% of respondents feel more secure in their jobs in 2010 compared to 2009.
That's an increase from 46% of those surveyed last year.
John Kervin, a sociology professor at the University of Toronto who studies workplace issues and examined the study, said the change in perception may be because hysteria surrounding the economic meltdown is cooling off. The fact that reports of job losses are no longer a daily occurrence is helping to calm fears.
Mr. Kervin said U.S. media reports indicating higher than expected unemployment rates south of the border have Canadians feeling better about the relative strength of the economy here.
"In general, we seem to be doing a whole lot better, so we beat them in Olympic hockey and it looks like we're going to beat them in job creation," he said.
"So even though they're at the risk of going back into a recession, it doesn't seem to be dampening spirits up here."
Respondents said they're more confident their jobs are safe, but about half say they fear the economy in general is not completely out of the woods yet.
While 47% say they think the economy is doing well, another 46% said they're concerned another recession could happen soon.
Colin Dodds, president of St. Mary's University in Halifax, who is also a finance professor, said Canadians were legitimately worried by bank failures and stock market losses.
"Some people really felt the sky was falling in, so there was panic almost in people's view of the economy and the threat as to what might happen with the jobs," he said, adding that even though the worst is over, workers should be cautiously optimistic today.
"There still are concerns in other parts of the world that could hurt us. They won't be our fault, but we could get sideswiped."
He said problems with the Euro currency and China's slowing economy will affect Canada, and low housing sales in the United States will have an impact on the Canadian lumber industry.
Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said Canadian workers need to worry because businesses in the private sector have not properly invested in new equipment that would boost productivity and provide more full-time jobs.
"The economy's not as bad as it was a year ago, but it's nowhere near yet on a solid enough footing for anyone to feel positive about their economic situation going forward," said Mr. Georgetti.
"The phenomenon we're seeing is many, many more part-time jobs than full-time jobs."
He said research by economists with the labour organization has shown that between four and five per cent of those unemployed have given up looking for a job altogether.
Poll respondents said another issue of concern is work-life balance, with 82 per cent saying they would take a pay cut in exchange for better hours.
The survey results are considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. About 539 of those surveyed were employed.
The newest unemployment numbers from Statistics Canada will be released on Sept. 10.
