Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - October 2009
Employers in Canada are looking ahead toward another shortage in skilled trades workers as the economy bounces back from the worldwide economic recession.
“We fully expect that, across all types of skill levels, we’ll be back into tight labour conditions where employers will have a really difficult time finding sought-after skilled workers, whether in trades or other areas,” said Elisabeth Mehrer of Calgary Economic Development.
For years, the Alberta energy industry has been the centre of Canada’s economic boom, raising the province’s profile as a destination for skilled workers both from within the country and abroad.
However, the boom came to a near halt when the recession hit last year. Less workers than usual were hired and many even lost their jobs.
Yet now businesses and governments are anticipating a turnaround. International recruitment efforts are expected to pick up, as are campaigns to attract young Canadians to the skilled trades.
The issue is not just at the forefront in Canada, either, says Guy Mallabone, chairman of the WorldSkills Calgary competition, which provides an international stage at which trades and technology workers can compete to show off their skills.
“We learned [while organizing the competition] from other countries that the challenges for trades and technicians are universal for all industrialized countries,” said Mallabone, who also heads the external relations for the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. “There’s a dramatic shortage, and many of these countries are looking to solve their shortages through immigration alone.”
Source: Regina Leader-Post
