Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - June 2008
Atlantic Canada is projected to be the first region in Canada where the labour shortage will reach crisis proportions, according to the results of a study conducted by the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council.
The Council has been gathering and analyzing data on the region’s demographic trends. Now that the results are public, concern is building within the region.
The labour shortage has been felt by many regions throughout Canada in the last several years. However, unlike the booming western provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, the eastern provinces are not only failing to attract the new workers it needs, but are also losing many of their own young residents who seek more than the region can offer.
In the past ten years, the Atlantic provinces have lost over 72, 500 people to more promising locations. Most of this loss has been young, highly educated workers.
The entire country has been experiencing the labour crunch on some level, as the baby-boom generation retires and birth-rates remain low. Now, Atlantic Canada has an opportunity to build a roadmap that will lead the nation toward potential solutions.
In the past, the region has looked to the federal government for financial aid to combat the appeal of the West. While it is likely that Ottawa will still be called upon for assistance, others solutions are being studied, such as raising immigration levels as well as more aggressive recruiting by employers.
At the same time, some experts argue that all the concern in the Atlantic is still premature. At the end of last year, the region gained more people than it lost. Furthermore, a thriving energy industry has pushed growth in the region, and it now looks to be in the early stages of an economic boom that will make everyone in the province wealthier.
Source: Canadian Press
