Quebec facing shortages of certain skilled workers

A study conducted by a Quebec online recruiting portal, Jobboom, suggests that the provinces employers are having difficulty filling certain occupations. The study suggests that this is caused in part by shortfalls in the numbers of new graduates being produced by local educational programs.

This situation is expected to become worse by the year 2012 as Quebec's population ages. Recommended strategies for solving the shortage include the prospect of increased Quebec immigration and seeking to have workers postpone retirement.

Provinces Encourage Canadian Immigration

British Columbia and Alberta are presently facing labour shortages that are forcing employers to recruit from abroad. Canada's federal government has enacted new rules to facilitate the admission of certain foreign workers to these provinces. In Alberta alone, there is an expected shortfall of 100,000 workers over the next decade.

Under the Expedited Labour Market Opinion Project, certain occupations are fast tracked so that the process can be reduced to as little as five days, as opposed to over five months required in those provinces at present.

Service Canada has recently added occupations in order to facilitate a total of 33 occupations in British Columbia and Alberta:

Carpenters (Journeyman/Woman)
Civil Engineers
Commercial Janitors, Caretakers
Construction Labourers
Crane Operators(Journeyman/Woman)
Delivery Drivers
Dental Technicians
Electrical & Electronics Engineers
Food and Beverage Servers
Food Counter Attendants
Food Service Supervisors
Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
Hotel Front Desk Clerks
Hotel and Hospitality Room Attendants
Industrial Electricians
Industrial Meat Cutters
Ironworkers
Manufacturing & Processing Labourers
Mechanical Engineers
Mechanical Engineering Technologists
Petroleum Engineers
Pharmacists
Registered Nurses
Residential Cleaning and Support Workers
Retail Salespersons and Sales Clerks
Roofers
Ski and Snowboard Instructors
Specialized Cleaners
Steamfitters, Pipefitters
Surveyor Helpers
Tour and Travel Guides
Welders
Machinists

Funding for Canadian Immigration Research

The city of Vancouver is receiving funding from the federal government and industry groups for diversity research and an upcoming summit on immigrants and jobs.

$7.5 million in funding has been granted by Canada's government for the purpose of conducting research into globalization, immigration and diversity at various centres across the country, including Metro Vancouver. This funding will help support the ongoing Metropolis Project initiated by a Vancouver area university, which started in 1995.

Meanwhile, Vancouver is gearing up for a summit which is intended to investigate ways to best match labour market needs with new immigrants. Participants include business leaders and employer groups, as well as local government officials.