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B.C. 'heading for jobs explosion' |
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By Ethan Caleb » There will
be about one million job openings in British Columbia in the next dozen
years, and not enough people available locally to fill these vacancies,
one of Canada's top bankers has predicted.
To this end, bringing in immigrants and helping them integrate into the workforce is critical, according to Gordon M Nixon, president and chief executive officer, RBC Financial Group.
Speaking at The Vancouver Board of Trade, Nixon said Vancouver's staging of the Olympic Games, a runaway housing boom and the need for new infrastructure could create a perfect storm in terms of labour shortages.
"Demographically, you can see where this is going," Nixon said. "There will be about one million job openings in B.C. in the next dozen years, and we don't have enough young British Columbians in the pipeline to fill these jobs.
"Immigration will play a vital role in filling the gap, so we must do everything we can to help immigrants integrate into the workforce so they can reach their potential."
Nixon's remarks, entitled "Canada's Diversity Imperative: 2010 and Beyond," outlined how immigration will be critical for Canada and that attracting the right mix of skills and capabilities will be essential.
"If Canada is to succeed in the global economy, we must ensure that the whole country has a capable workforce. And it's not just about skilled workers for the construction and oil industries…. this is about leveraging human resources in all areas of the economy."
The Council of Construction Trade Associations predicts that about 40,000 new trade apprentices will be needed just to complete all the construction projects planned around Vancouver for the next ten years. And with Alberta predicting a shortfall of as many as 100,000 workers over the next ten years, competition for labour will be fierce in the West.
"This is a harbinger of what awaits the rest of Canada," said Nixon.
While Nixon suggested that Canada needs to ensure it is a destination of choice for skilled immigrants, the country need look no further than its own backyard and tap the existing potential of the current workforce.
"Canada is closer to being a model economy when it comes to integrating immigrants than any other country in the world," Nixon said.
However, evidence suggests that today's immigrants are having a harder time adjusting than previous generations, and the lack of inclusion of minorities and second generation immigrants is causing both social and economic challenges.
"While our politicians love to brag about the success of our multicultural society, we would be better off acknowledging and addressing our challenges, or we will pay a price in the future," Nixon warned.
Statistics Canada recently reported that immigrants to Vancouver find it harder to get jobs than anywhere else in Canada. The employment rate for immigrants in Vancouver is 61 per cent and only 44 per cent are in jobs for which they've trained. Some of the challenges new immigrants face include:
- a cumbersome application process that doesn't fast-track the best talent;
- a process that makes it hard for businesses to hire foreign talent, by forcing them to prove skill shortages - even when those shortages are well-documented; and
- an infrastructure that doesn't support immigrants when they get here and denies them good jobs because they have no Canadian work experience.
In his remarks Nixon identified several areas to help immigrants integrate into the workforce so that they can reach their potential. Specifically:
- setting up language training programs that also emphasize business communications in addition to conversational language skills;
- the creation of settlement and mentoring programs, as well as internship programs; and
- the creation of programs related to foreign credentials.
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