Tough economic times mean tightening belts. Governments are scaling back financial commitments and consumers are holding back unnecessary purchases. Even kids are having their allowances cut.

Of course, these are all boilerplate cliches. In real life, human nature compels us not to miss out on a great deal — something the marketing industry will continue to reap rewards with, and the advertising industry will happily tag along (I should know, I used to be an adman in my pre-Canadian career-gifted life.) But I digress.

By Brooke Wilkinson

Why did you want to leave your home country?

For a better life in a freer country.

Why did you decide to move to Toronto?

Because a family member lived here.

What family members or friends did you leave behind? How do you stay in touch?

My parents, siblings and my friends. I stay in touch via phone and email.

The recession and financial crisis have put tremendous pressure on the Canadian job market even for ‘real’ born-and-bred Canadians. Of course, for immigrants, that means ever more pressure to find employment and choosing a career when even during hunky-dory times they faced such scarcity of work — their high educational and professional backgrounds notwithstanding.

I’ve compiled a list, after painstaking research (my readers expect nothing less from me) and visiting hundreds of jobs and employment boards’. Regular readers will know that my expertise in employment, and my credentials are, to say the least, impeccable.