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Jobs crisis looms as boomers retire: Canada statistical agency
AFP
A long-warned of labor crunch caused by aging baby boomers is looming, with a record number of Canadians set to retire, according to data from a 2021 census released Wednesday.
“Never before has the number of people nearing retirement been so high,” Statistics Canada said in a statement, with more than one in five workers (21.8 percent) close to the mandatory or proposed retirement age of 65.
The statement cited the boomer cohort’s exit from the labor force as “one of the factors behind the labor shortages facing some industries across the country.”
Baby boomers — born between 1946 and 1965 — began to retire in 2011, but the rate is now accelerating to an “all-time high,” Statistics Canada said.
In late 2021, Statistics Canada said in a separate report that there were nearly one million unfilled positions across Canada, more than double the previous year.
Some of the hardest jobs to fill included restaurant staff, construction laborers, nurses and social workers.
According to the census, seven million Canadians — out of a total population of 37 million — are already 65 years or older, and the number of people aged 85 and up is forecast to triple to 2.7 million in the coming decades.
The demographic shift toward an older population is partly due to low fertility, as currently only 1.4 children are born per woman in the country, and gradual increases in life expectancy, Statistics Canada said.
Older Canadians, the agency said, are “staying healthier, active, and involved for longer.”
Despite this trend, Canada still has one of the youngest populations among G7 countries, after the United States and Britain, the report noted.
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Maduro warns Venezuela would enter armed struggle if attacked by foreign forces
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro stated on Friday that if his country were attacked, it would enter a phase of armed struggle, amid his claims of “threats” from the United States, which is conducting a military deployment in Caribbean waters near Venezuela’s coast under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.
Maduro emphasized that Venezuela is currently in the non-armed phase, which he described as political, communicational, and institutional, but added that if the country were somehow aggressed, it would move to a planned, organized armed struggle involving the entire population, whether the threat is local, regional, or national.
“We would enter a stage of armed struggle, in defense of peace, territorial integrity, sovereignty, and our people,” Maduro said during an event activating citizen militias, broadcast on state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
He also noted that Venezuela is currently in a phase of readiness and preparation to defend the country and will proceed to the deployment of defensive capacities, including training and retraining of the entire Venezuelan population.
Maduro described the Venezuelan people as pacifist yet warrior-like, asserting that “no one will enslave us, neither today nor ever.”
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USCIS gains law enforcement powers: Agents now authorized to investigate and arrest immigration violators
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), traditionally responsible for handling naturalizations, visas, residence permits, and work authorizations, is now expanding its role to include law enforcement powers, according to a statement released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Under the new directive, specially designated USCIS agents are now authorized to investigate, arrest, and bring to justice individuals who violate U.S. immigration laws. Previously, USCIS primarily managed administrative and bureaucratic processes, while enforcement responsibilities were handled by agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Illegal immigration has been a central issue under President Donald Trump’s administration, with DHS reporting that over 300,000 migrants have been arrested in the first six months of his presidency. However, the number of people who have crossed U.S. borders illegally in recent years remains controversial, with experts estimating between 8 to 10 million individuals.
The policy shift also comes amid heightened legal battles over immigration enforcement. Recently, a federal judge blocked the deportation of minors to Guatemala, who were moments away from boarding a flight. Trump’s aggressive measures, including large-scale raids in cities like Los Angeles, have faced multiple judicial challenges, some upheld and others overturned at various federal levels, including the Supreme Court.
According to the DHS statement, the expanded authority allows USCIS to “manage investigations from start to finish rather than referring cases to ICE,” aiming to reduce backlogs and combat fraud within the immigration system.
USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow will have the power to appoint and train special agents under the order signed by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, ensuring that the agency can effectively execute its newly granted enforcement responsibilities.
Sin categoría
Teacher stabbed at vocational school in Essen; suspect injured during arrest
A teacher was stabbed on Friday at a vocational training center in Essen, western Germany, authorities reported. The suspect was injured by gunfire during their arrest.
Police have not released the identities of the victim or the attacker, nor have they provided details regarding the motive for the incident. In recent months, Germany has faced several fatal knife attacks, as well as terrorist incidents and far-right violence, raising concerns about public safety.
“The teacher suffered knife injuries during the attack,” the North Rhine-Westphalia police said on X (formerly Twitter), noting that a large number of officers were deployed to the scene. Authorities later confirmed that the suspect had been located and that firearms had to be used during the arrest.
“The suspect was injured and is currently receiving medical attention,” police added.
The teacher was taken to a hospital, though no details about their condition have been released. Regarding the motive, police have not commented. Pascal Pettinato, a spokesperson for Essen police, told NTV that it was unclear whether the attack was “targeted or random.”
According to the German newspaper Bild, the victim is believed to be a woman with an abdominal injury that requires emergency surgery.
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