The province of Ontario is looking at ways of attracting more skilled immigrants.
Though it is still the number one destination of new arrivals to the country, Ontario’s overall share of newcomers has been dropping in recent years as Western provinces have intensified their recruitment efforts amid booming economies.
Now, as the population ages and the baby-boomer generations retire, Ontario is facing the prospect of a worker shortage of its own and must find ways to make a competitive destination once again.
Experts are predicting that as many as 135,000 immigrants will be needed per year to offset the aging. Furthermore, about 70 percent of those will need to be skilled workers – most of whom since 2005 have been heading to other provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan.
A new report has recommended that the province will need to renegotiate its terms with the federal government to ensure more labour market flexibility, as well as to raise the limits on provincial nominees which currently sits at 1,000 per year.
The province’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister says he will use the recommendations to compile Ontario’s first immigration strategy – something most experts say is long overdue.
Source: Toronto Star