Canada – No evidence of a national labour shortage at present or into the foreseeable future research finds

This report outlines the findings of a knowledge synthesis project which was established to gather and learn more about what the best existing peer-reviewed research reveals about labour and skills supplies in Canada now and in the near future. This study identifies not only what is known but also the gaps in research relating to the present and future needs of Canada’s labour force.

A research team with collective expertise in demographic change, immigration and skills development joined together from Alberta’s three major universities, to this collaborative, interdisciplinary project. The team distilled 219 peer-reviewed articles and reports for inclusion in this study dating from 2000 to 2013 in English (or French). The articles focused on: gaps in labour/ skills demand and supply, aging workforce, employment patterns of aging Canadians, the role of immigration and shifting immigration policies, the role of shifting skills development.

Key Findings

Seven key findings emerged from the analysis:

1. There is no evidence of a national labour shortage at present or into the foreseeable future. The labour force is predicted instead to grow until 2031 but at a slower rate of growth
2. First edge of the baby boom (people now age 65-67) are working longer, so there is less shrinkage in the labour force than originally predicted
3. Last edge of the baby boom (people born 1966) are only 47 years old in 2013, so have about 20 more productive years before leaving the workforce
4. There are pockets of skill shortages and mismatches in specific industry sectors and in specific geographic areas
5. There are large groups of underutilized populations who could join the workforce or be more fully employed, particularly youth, Aboriginals, disabled persons and unemployed older workers
6. Highly-skilled immigrants are being severely underutilized in the workforce in their fields of expertise due to unrecognized experience and credentials
7. Temporary foreign workers support the Canadian economy in lower paying jobs, particularly in the hospitality, food and beverage industries, as well as in higher paying jobs. However they do not receive the same levels of employment security, equity and supports Canadian employees in the same roles do.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at  Is the Math Sufficient? Aging Workforce and the Future Labour Market in Canada