Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - September 2007
A survey conducted last month for business news has found that 84 per cent of employers are having trouble finding enough qualified skilled workers to keep up with demand in today's marketplace. Among those sectors hardest hit by the labour shortage are the service industry, where over 90 per cent of employers reported having trouble finding workers, as well as the resource and manufacturing industries.
Employers in Eastern Canada are facing increased recruitment challenges as the skilled labour force moves westward to the booming provinces of Alberta and B.C. Other factors contributing to the current state of the job market are an aging population and a severe lack of new recruits into skilled labour sectors. There is general agreement among business executives that this issue needs to be addressed by Canadian policy-makers.
When asked about possible solutions, employers mentioned familiar tactics such as increased efforts to attract youth into skilled trades as well as changes to immigration policy that will attract more skilled labour from other countries. Paul Charette, CEO of Bird Construction Company demonstrated the frustration felt by many employers in Canada when he spoke with the media, saying: "It's easier to get into Canada if you have a degree in Greek mythology than if you're a journeyman electrician."
More and more employers are also pursuing policies that attempt to ensure less employee turn-over. Such policies include on-the-job supplementary skill development, more company-specific perks and establishing managers whose exclusive responsibility is to facilitate employee-employer communication and relation.
Though the results of this latest survey are not surprising, it is important that this issue be addressed. The concern over labour shortage in Canada is not new, and despite efforts to bring attention to this problem, matters do not seem to be improving. The stress on businesses seems to have translated to an overall pessimistic view of the economy, as the latest survey showed less businesses predicting economic growth than in the past.
Source: The Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/
LAC.20070917.RCSUITE17/EmailTPStory/Business
