Annoying robocalls, underpaid PhDs & welcome Syrian immigrants: BUSINESS WEEK WRAP

Mass marketing scams, often manned by a robo-dialler on the other end, are duping Canadians out of millions every year.

So why aren't telephone companies blocking them?

It turns out they could if they wanted to, as Aaron Saltzman reported this week.

Technology exists to block robocalls and detect mass telemarketers, but consumer advocates say the telcos have been slow to use it.

Discouraging news for PhDs

There's another head-scratcher in the world of education.

Canada turns out many PhDs and few of them are employed in academic positions.

In addition, there are questions about whether the long time horizon to get a doctorate is worth it, at least on a personal level.

Turns out PhDs are not that well paid, compared with their colleagues with master's degrees, according to a study for the Conference Board of Canada.

But Michael Bloom, author of the report, says Canada doesn't have enough people with doctorates.

"We're actually well short of the targets. We're well behind some of our European competitors. The trick here is, getting the PhDs who are not working in the academy into the right roles and making the most of that talent," he told CBC.

Welcoming the Syrians

Many Canadians are stepping up to welcome Syrian immigrants in their communities.

Among them are businesses who are preparing to offer discounts on the basic needs of new arrivals.

Shayna Plaut, a research fellow at the Simon Fraser University's school for international studies, says there's another reason to welcome new immigrants. Businesses may be glad of a fresh pool of labour.

"We're talking about people with the skills that we are often seeking, to be able to bring up to Northern Canada or to other areas that aren't the major populations centres," she said.

Other stuff

Those were some of our most read stories this week. Be sure to follow us on Twitter to always stay up to date, and don't forget to check out our website for everything else we have on offer.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday