It's been like this for years, folks, and for middle-aged people, too. Endless layoffs. I now earn 50% less than I did three years ago to do the same work. And I didn't earn that much to begin with.

We live in a new norm of deep underemployment. I'd be surprised if we have more than 30% full employment in Canada. Remember, the government considers me "employed" because I file a tax return showing modest income. That doesn't mean that I'm fully employed. Most people I know in my industry are in the same situation. Re-train? For what? Who is hiring for anything but entry level? Who maintains employees for more than five years, unless they're minimum wage?