Canada’s Skills Gap / 88% of respondents ready to acquire new skills and 38% ready to relocate Hays finds

It may have taken some time, but Canadian workers are beginning to respond to Canada’s well-known and continually growing talent shortage and skills mismatch by retraining themselves for in-demands jobs.

So says a report released this morning by international recruiting firm Hays Canada, which showed 88% of respondents in a recent survey are planning or considering to acquire new skills to “capitalize on skills shortages in other industries.”

Perhaps more telling is that 38% of respondents are likely or highly likely to relocate for the right opportunity — once a key obstacle to resolving labour shortages and a catalyst to the federal government’s move to alter Employment Insurance eligibility last year.

The Hays survey complemented another study the organization conducted in collaboration with Oxford Economics that reveals the skills mismatch in Canada is widening.

In a press release issued this morning, Hays Canada president Rowan O’Grady said employers need to be more open-minded when considering new recruits.

“When the perfect candidate does not leap off the page they can invest in those who come across as smart, with related education and work experience, someone who can be trained for the position,” he said. “Making this investment in an employee allows for career progression and brings rewards in terms of loyalty and retention.”

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at 

via Canadians pursuing retraining to meet skills shortages in other industries | Financial Post.