JONATHAN FAERBER
The Gateway (University of Alberta)

This woman doesn’t want to know what’s waiting for her.

EDMONTON (CUP) — September’s labour market verdict is in and early reactions are mixed.

Overall, Canada’s job creation rate is up, unemployment in the U.S. is down and the near-term economic forecast for both countries is positive.

But upon closer inspection, the 52,100 jobs reported by Statistics Canada — a 53 per cent improvement over August’s results — did not keep up with the 72,600 Canadians that entered the labour force last month. Increasing layoffs add to the plot, especially if you count companies replacing employment casualties in the total number of jobs created.

With data like this, most people have conflicting responses — relief on the one hand, distress on the other — and the average job seeker may understandably have mixed feelings. Certainly, these are intriguing results for the job-searching or career-curious student. The implications for employment are also important.

But they’re irrelevant for the average student — regardless of what the job market data says about this group, you can’t do much to change it. Even if you are able to tell whether current stats spell good or bad news for you, the news won’t guarantee you either a job or unemployment in the long run.

In fact, any professional’s job search is a day-to-day reality that has less to do with nationwide numbers than with specific factors: employment history, education, skill set, etc.

So rather than worrying about external factors in the job market, focus first on the things you have control over: your current class, job and volunteer roles. Stop procrastinating and write that essay now, for instance, or hit the books and ace tomorrow’s exam.

Expand your interests, develop your skills, read up on the specifics of different career options and so on.

Sure, that’s almost a verbatim quote off the Alberta Learning Information Service’s “Making Sense of Labour Market Information” handbook, but it works. Remember, as self-evident as it seems, your own sense of success is always going to be a better indicator of your actual success than StatsCan.

That’s not to say data should be ignored altogether — it shouldn’t. Labour market information goes a long way toward helping students take advantage of growing industries and the corresponding demand for specific professions. If you’re lucky enough to be pursuing those professions, these numbers might even indicate the likelihood of your job-searching success two or three years down the road.

As always, though, a lot of work stands in between now and then. And experience, luck and more changes in the job market.

So the next time you see the phrases “rising unemployment” or “job creation” in your local newspaper, don’t panic and certainly don’t rejoice. Take a deep breath and step away from the stats.

Numbers are fascinating stuff, but they aren’t powerful or intelligent enough to make your career decisions for you.

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Photo: Samantha Garvey/The Omega