CBC Calgary launches a new focus on work. How is it changing?

Hangingdrywall? Stocking shelves? Building a side hustle or picking up shifts?

It's all work.

Major changes are afoot in the world of work andnot all it due to COVID. The best place to understand itis on the front line. From you.

That's why we're launching our new community-driven news series: Work is different. How?

Share your story by joining our text messaging community. It's confidential. Unsubscribe any time by texting STOP.

Here's some of what we've reported so far based on tips and ideas gathered from the community.

'Life's too short' Calgary's live entertainment industry dials back killer schedule

After years of just talk, performers say Calgary's live entertainment industry has finally dialed back its expectations and demanding schedules.

Thank the pandemic for that, says Theatre Calgary director Alex Currie.

"It was just kind of a catalyst to help us move it because we were able to just stop for a minute and look at things," he said. Read the full story.

Calgary's population surge: New arrivals struggle while 110,000 more expected by 2027

So many people have been moving to Calgary recently that some Ukrainian newcomers have spent multiple nights at the airport before finding a place to crash, says one community leader.

"I think Calgary's starting to see some of the stretch marks from all of the immigration that is occurring and especially the refugee waves that have occurred in the last couple of years," said Kelly Ernst, chief program officer at the Centre for Newcomers. Read the full story.

These young Calgarians say they want a 'healthy' career, not to work themselves to death

Janira Moncayo landed three part-time jobs in fine arts when she graduated from university and she took them all.

Anxious about making it in a tough field, she threw herself into work, regularly filing 56 hours a week. But it was too much. Her stress levels skyrocketed and she would frequently end her days crying from the pressure.

Read the full story.

Prices for commercial kitchen space are exorbitant. Enter co-working options

Food costs are soaring. But one local chef and entrepreneur thinks he has found a solution.At least it's a help, says Alejandro Rodriguez, owner of Latin Foods Specialties Market and Kitchen.

Read the full story.

Oil booms have meant good jobs in Alberta. But what does the future hold?

"Like, it's a beautiful day. But no one's walking in, dropping in," bartender Brenda Spencer said, nodding at the room of a dozen empty tables and several VLTs.

This is Alberta a province facing such an intense labour shortage that it's advertising for workers in Toronto and Halifax. But it's also a place with the highest unemployment rates in the country among major cities.

Read the full story.

Economists say the job market is hollowing out. What does that mean for Calgarians?

While some believe a labour shortage could lead to higher wages for typically low-paid jobs, it's not yet clear if/when that will happen. And then there's artificial intelligence. And the pandemic. Did it accelerate other trends we're only now discovering?

Today, CBC Calgary is launching a new community-driven series on work. We want to hear your stories on how your industry is changing and what it actually means on the ground.

Read the story here.