Regarding ethical work standards and a living wage. Our youngest daughter recently landed a job at IKEA, she is ecstatic and we are thrilled for her. Most of her employment experiences, in the last few years in Vancouver have been decidedly userous and borderline, if not outright criminal, when it has comes to decent treatment of those that work for you and had left her increasingly despondent regarding her dreams for the future and how to deal with her incurred debt as a student.

There were over 1,200 applications for the job advertised, 90 were selected for the first interview and 8 eventually hired on for the 3 month probationary period. We are not certain how many will be retained after that. Her starting salary is $11.95 /hr Can. rising to $18.00 after 2 years and she got the job based on what she knows not who she knows.

What she has learned from the company so far and from her fellow employees is that very few leave IKEA for elsewhere, there is an incredible company loyalty among employees (which is from a business perspective smart, it is very expensive to hire and train new employees all the time) and the company treats their employees very well indeed. On top of their generous and flexible benefit package, even for part time employees, they will look for housing and find medical services for you, if you do not have the time to do so yourself, due to work and other commitments.

They do not test their employees for alcohol or drugs use, what you do on your own time is your own business as far as they are concerned, but they do expect you to show up for work, on time, clean and sober.

They promote within the company first and will pay 70% of any further outside education or training fee that she may require, to eventually end in the kitchen design department, which is her ultimate goal.

Basically, along with their furniture designs, IKEA also imports it's Swedish employment standards to Canada as well.

Have I shopped there? Many times.

Will I continue to shop there? Yup!