Current Occupations In Demand

Food counter attendants and food preparers prepare, heat and finish cooking simple food items and serve customers at food counters. Kitchen helpers, food service helpers and dishwashers clear tables, clean kitchen areas, wash dishes, and perform various other activities to assist workers who prepare or serve food and beverages. They are employed by restaurants, cafés, hotels, fast food outlets, cafeterias, hospitals and other establishments.

Transport truck drivers drive straight trucks or tractor-trailers to transport freight. Long-haul truck drivers operate heavy trucks over urban, interurban, provincial and international routes, while short-haul and local transport truck drivers operate over urban and short interurban routes. They are employed by transportation, manufacturing, distribution and moving companies, and trucking employment service agencies, or they may be self-employed.

Retail salespersons sell, rent or lease a range of technical and non-technical goods and services directly to consumers. Visual merchandisers plan, create and implement windows and in-store displays. They are employed by stores and other retail businesses, as well as wholesale businesses that sell on a retail basis to the public.

Cooks prepare and cook a wide variety of foods. They are employed in restaurants, hotels, hospitals and other health care institutions, central food commissaries, educational institutions and other establishments. Cooks are also employed aboard ships and at construction and logging campsites. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.

Food service supervisors supervise, direct and coordinate the activities of workers who prepare, portion and serve food. They are employed by hospitals and other health care establishments and by cafeterias, catering companies and other food service establishments.

Administrative assistants perform a variety of administrative duties in support of managerial and professional employers. They are employed throughout the public and private sectors.

Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations, provide personal care and companionship for seniors, persons with disabilities and convalescent clients. They provide care in the client's residence, where they may also reside. They are employed by home care and support agencies, private households, or they may be self-employed.

Material handlers handle, move, load and unload materials by hand or using a variety of material handling equipment. They are employed by transportation, storage and moving companies, and by a variety of manufacturing and processing companies and retail and wholesale warehouses.

Retail and wholesale trade managers plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the operations of establishments that sell merchandise or services on a retail or wholesale basis. They are employed by retail and wholesale sales establishments or they may own and operate their own store.

Light duty cleaners clean lobbies, hallways, offices and rooms of hotels, motels, resorts, hospitals, schools, office buildings and private residences. They are employed by hotels, motels, resorts, recreational facilities, hospitals and other institutions, building management companies, cleaning service companies and private individuals. Housekeepers perform housekeeping duties in residential, and institutional settings.