The global economy is still feeling the pain of the largest economic downturn in more than 80 years. In the United States alone, the “Great Recession” has claimed more than 7.2 million jobs since January 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with overall unemployment topping out at 10 percent. This doesn’t even count the 2.5 million people who were unemployed and ready to work, but who hadn’t looked for work in the four weeks before being counted, and the 9.2 million unwillingly working only part-time. Canada has taken a softer hit, according to Statistics Canada-its national unemployment is only 8.6 percent, though Ontario’s unemployment has crept up to 9.3 percent.
