What was the worst job you ever had?

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says unemployed Canadians should be prepared to take just about any available job, telling reporters "There is no bad job. The only bad job is not having a job."

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty wants to tighten rules on employment insurance. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)Opposition critics said Canadians should be concerned about Flaherty's hard line on unemployment. Liberal critic Marc Garneau called his comments "insulting."

NDP critic Peggy Nash said making Canadians with special skills take low-paying jobs "is a colossal waste of skills ... talent and training."

"If you are a computer software developer, will you be working at Tim Hortons? If you are an unemployed teacher or nurse, will you be working in the agricultural sector picking fruit?" she asked.

However, some business groups have complained they are experiencing labour shortages in parts of the country, particularly Alberta and Saskatchewan, where the jobless rate is about two percentage points below the national average.

Flaherty predicted worker shortages, not unemployment, will be a bigger problem in the future.

"That means we are going to have to encourage more persons with disabilities to work, more seniors to work, more aboriginal people to work, including young people. We need to get rid of disincentives in the employment insurance system to people joining the workforce," he said.

Do you agree with Flaherty that's there's no such thing as a bad job? Do you think changes should be made to get people off EI and back to work in low-skilled jobs?

What's the worst job you've ever had? Let us know in the comments below.

With files from the Canadian Press.



(This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.)