Event highlights jobs for Canadian visa holders

June 19 2009 by Ranjan Chakraborty

Mike Holmes, celebrity contractor promotes Canada immigration

Mike Holmes promotes Canada immigration

This year’s Canadian Skills Competition further highlighted the fact that many sectors suffer considerable labour market shortages Canada immigration needs to attract more overseas skilled labour.

Some 700 industry professionals from 40 different trade and technology categories attended the event to encourage Canadians and recruiters to find potential Canada visa holders to enter these industries. The event also acts as a platform for the government to announce measures to help boost the labour and skills market.

David Green, the director of marketing for Fluke Corp, which sponsored the event, said a government official at the event claimed that the shortage of trade and technology workers is the ‘single largest issue’ for every province in Canada.

Mike Holmes, a celebrity contractor from Canada’s HGTV, was hosting the event and said, "We're approximately 100,000 tradespeople short in my industry. The big problem is that the average skilled trade worker right now is 55 years old and will be retiring anytime from now to the next 15 years," he said.

For many provinces, the ability to attract skilled immigrants to apply for a Canada visa will be crucial to their future ability to attract investment in their regions. Green explained that business will only set up in a province where they know they can employ skilled workers.

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