CANADA Today VS 10 Years ago.
When I first thought about writing this article the first thing that came to my mind was how much Canada has changed in the last 10-15 years, I was wrong. Believe it or not our country has not changed much in the last 10-15 years other then the obvious things. I would be insane if I did not notice the big technology wave that has swept the earth. Or how everyone and their neighbor are trying to create an app. think about it, you can say that it’s the get rich quick scheme of 2017. The iPhone is still the number one phone the only difference is now we are at number 8. Pop music still dominates the charts in Canada same time last decade Rihanna’s Umbrella was the number one song in the country now in 2017 and the number one song is Despacito featuring the biggest pop star in the world, Justin Bieber. So I ask the question again what has changed.
Believe it or not, even the work field has pretty much stayed the same. You would think with the influence of the tech age there would be wave of newer higher paying jobs in this country well you’re wrong. The only thing tech has done is make jobs easier. The unemployment rate in 2007 was 6 percent while in 2017 it is 6.5 percent. it’s a little higher but since it’s a seasonal stat it could change by the end of the year. I tried to dig deeper so I looked for the top jobs in Canada 10 years ago vs today. What I learned is that people are still doing the same kind of work they’ve been doing ten years ago.
The problem to me is the country seems very different now then it did 10 years ago. So I kept looking for something major that would stand out, once again I found something that was all too similar. Just like 10 years ago the highest paying jobs were pretty much the same. In other words if you want make a good living in this country then you need to be some type of doctor that means medical or dental, lawyer, miner or a corporate manger/ CEO.
One major difference is that the millennia generation is willing to take more risk then the generations before them. The best ways for me to explain it is how they live and what they do with their time and money. One of the big major differences is that millennia’s love getting tattoos. Growing up maybe one of their parents had tattoos but now that millennia’s are becoming parents their kid’s are more likely to have both parents with tattoos. “The Washington-based Pew Research Center reported in 2010 that 38 per cent of millennia’s (then the 18-29 age bracket) acknowledged having at least one tattoo” Kwong, M. (2012). Tattoo culture making its mark on millennia’s). Tattoos are like a sign of adult for people who are millennia’s.
The biggest sign of them all that shows millennia’s are major risk takers is the way they spend their money. Instead of saving their money millennia’s are taking it and starting their own companies. For some reason they are not investing in stocks. The reason why? they don’t think it is fun. “Many rich millennia’s are risk-taking entrepreneurs who have made their fortunes by building companies. But when it comes to investing their cash, they tend to be rather conservative, says Mr. Nugent.” Johne, M. (2016). Meet the next generation of wealth). Also, the millennia generation are more in to what can I do next and less interested in to what can I buy next. “Material things are not much of a big deal to them because experiences are a bigger priority,” says Mr. Nugent. “A lot them will say, ‘Great, I have all this money – what’s my next project?’” Johne, M. (2016). Meet the next generation of wealth).
In the end maybe my first thought was right maybe Canada has changed a lot in the last 10 years. The job market maybe very similar also the way people consume entertainment may also be similar. Cost of living may have not changed very much. We may have pretty much the same kings of the tech world. But the one standout that we cannot deny is people seem to be more of risk takers then ever before.
