Canada / No ‘hard underlying facts supporting’ labour shortages says TD

For all the cry over skills and labour shortages in Canada, little evidence points to their widespread existence, a new report says.

Some pockets of Canada may be seeing shortages – such as in the Prairies, but a study to be released Tuesday argues forcefully against the notion of looming economy-wide labour shortages. Analysis of vacancy, wage and unemployment rates in the country finds no proof of an imminent skills crisis.

“Perceptions can take on a life of their own without hard underlying facts supporting them,” said Derek Burleton, deputy chief economist at Toronto Dominion Bank, who wrote the paper with other bank economists.

“From an economy-wide perspective, it is hard to make the case that widespread labour shortages currently exist,” he said…

The bank tested for labour shortages and mismatches by collecting data about jobless, wage and vacancy rates for about 140 occupations. It found that vacancy rates in some areas thought to have shortages, such as in health care, have not changed much.

Vacancy rates have risen in the Prairies, particularly Alberta and Saskatchewan, but rates in general “have not accelerated over the past few years,” the report said.

Moreover, wage data has not signalled massive labour shortages, TD said. Wage gains were running at 5 per cent, year-over-year, before the recession, but have been muted in recent years. Even in the West, gains “have not increased to the extent that one might have thought, given the signs of tightness,” the report said, adding that competitive pressures are likely keeping a lid on pay hikes.

Some groups, such as the Conference Board of Canada, have said the country is facing a shortage of one million workers by 2020 – but TD said such long-term forecasts should be looked at “with considerable skepticism.”

The TD economists are not the only ones to refute the perception of a labour shortage. A paper last May by the University of Calgary’s Kevin McQuillan concluded Canada that is not facing a wide-scale labour shortage “and is unlikely to confront one in the foreseeable future.”

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

via Report overturns conventional view of Canadian job markets – The Globe and Mail.

Related Posts

Canada / The government is committed to fixing the skills mismatch with the Canada Job Grant says Kenney

In a keynote speech today at the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism, emphasized the importance of the skilled trades and the vital role of Canada’s colleges in preparing the skilled workforce of the future. “Our government’s top priorities are creating jobs, … Continue reading »

Canada Job Grant / There is no single, magic solution to skills needs across Canada” say the Provinces and Territories

“There is no single, magic solution to skills needs across Canada” writes the Forum of Labour Market Ministers in a position paper on to the Canada Job Grant proposal titled Building Skills Together Continue reading »

Canada Job Grant / Doomed unless changed say premiers

Unless the federal Conservatives make substantial changes to the Canada Job Grant, the jobs training fund is doomed to failure, provincial leaders say. Ottawa has to be open to changing the program because a “one-size-fits-all” approach to helping more people find jobs isn’t going to work, said BC Premier Christy Clark and New Brunswick Premier … Continue reading »