CBC urges employers to use Canadian visa holders to fill skills gaps
February 10 2010 by Liam Clifford
Employment analysts are urging Canadian employers to look to Canada visa holders to fill skill and labor shortages emerging in their industries.
Some 425,000 jobs are due to open up in Canada this year as a
result of more baby-boomer-generation workers reaching retirement
age.
The Conference Board of Canada (CBC) says that many foreigners
coming to work in Canada find themselves working in areas other than their area
of expertise.
Now, the CBC is hoping that employers will take note of
the problems and try to make the most of foreign workers’ skills.
The
CBC’s Diane MacKay says, "We have a need not only for the highly trained
workers, but for all kinds of workers such as tradespeople.
"We need
them, we need them working and this is an issue that employers need to pay
attention to."
In addition, the CBC is encouraging foreigners to carry
out volunteer work in Canada in their area of expertise to make themselves stand
out to employers.
Technology is one industry where employers are already
very used to looking abroad for talent and they are well aware of the skills
shortages happening in Canada.
Hire Immigrants Canada is urging smaller
employers to increase their awareness of the pool of immigrants looking for work
in Canada. The organisation’s Kelly McGahey says, "the statistics show clearly
that in the next year or two, if you hire a new employee you will hire an
immigrant."
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