High-Demand Jobs in Canada
According to the 2015 ManpowerGroup Talent Shortage Survey of 41,700 hiring managers in 42 countries around the globe, 38% of all employers surveyed reported difficulties filling job openings, which was the highest level since 2007. The survey also discovered that 54% of hiring managers reported that challenges in finding qualified employees to fill job vacancies was impacting “their ability to serve client needs.”
Why are so many companies around the world finding it difficult to hire enough workers to fill job openings? The 2015 ManpowerGroup Talent Shortage Survey reported that 35% of employers said there simply were not enough people applying for jobs available at their company; 34% of hiring managers stated that people who did apply for employment lacked the skills required for the job; 22% of applicants didn’t have enough work experience; 17% of people applying for jobs lacked soft skills; and 13% of potential employees were asking for higher salaries than employers were willing to pay.
Finally, the 2015 ManpowerGroup Talent Shortage Survey revealed that the shortage of qualified skilled workers varied in the 42 countries examined. For example, an average of 38% of all hiring managers surveyed around the world reported difficulties filling job openings, but this figured ranged in different countries from a high of 83% in Japan to a low of 11% in Ireland, with 32% of Canadian employers surveyed saying they were experiencing challenges finding enough qualified workers to fill available jobs in Canada.
In a 2012 report titled, Labour and Skills Shortages in Canada: Addressing Current and Future Challenges, the Canadian Parliament examined the growing shortage of qualified skilled workers across Canada. The report explained that, “As is the case for many developed countries, Canada has an aging population, mainly as a result of two factors: increased life expectancy and the fact that the baby boomer generation (born between 1946 and 1965) is reaching retirement age.” It also stated that, “The aging of the population will have many consequences, such as slower labour force growth. Furthermore, it will create an increased demand in certain sectors, such as the health care sector.”
The Canadian Parliament report (2012) went on to say that there is likely to be a rising demand for jobs in Canada in certain business sectors for two primary reasons. “Labour shortages occur in an occupation when the number of new job openings, available as a result of retirement or an increased demand for people with the skills to fill these positions, is higher than the number of new job seekers in Canada, either recent graduates or people with foreign credentials in that field,” the report explained. Specifically, the Canadian government reported (2012) that the following occupational categories are forecast to face challenges finding enough skilled workers to fill jobs in Canada: (1) sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) occupations; (2) information and communications technology (ICT) jobs in Canada; (3) healthcare occupations; and (4) skilled trades.
The economic theory of “supply and demand” can be seen at work in the Canadian job market, where the increasing demand for skilled workers, combined with the low supply of skilled workers, has contributed to rising salaries for many high-demand jobs in Canada.
According to research published on the CanadianBusiness.com website, many of the top jobs in Canada for 2015 also have some of the highest salaries. For example, the website reported that the median yearly salaries for various high-demand jobs in Canada included the following: Air Traffic Controller ($87,360); Construction Manager ($75,005); Crane Operator ($62,088); Dental Hygienist ($70,720); Engineering Manager ($94,994); Healthcare Manager ($90,626); Human Resource (HR) Manager ($83,200); Mining and Forestry Manager ($108,805); Pharmacist ($97,760); Power System Operator ($84,198); Registered Nurse ($74,672); Sales & Marketing Manager ($79,997); School Principal/Administrator ($93,995); Secondary/High School Teacher ($76,794); Software Engineer ($85,342); and University Professor ($85,717).
It should be noted that these are examples of the median annual salaries for some of the high-demand jobs in Canada, which means these salary examples are midway between the highest and lowest salaries. Other factors can affect how much someone may earn if they work in Canada, such as their education level, years of experience, business sector, location of the job (i.e., big city vs. small town), etc.
The government and businesses in Canada are very much aware of the important role that skilled workers play in contributing to the Canadian economy. As Perrin Beatty from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce declared in testimony to the Canadian Parliament on May 28, 2012, “Canada must be more aggressive in its immigration efforts. We must move now. We are in competition with many other countries in order to attract the most talented people in the world. We have very little time to deal with labour shortages and the lack of skilled workers.”
Consequently, the Canada’s government launched its “Express Entry” system on January 1, 2015, in order to more efficiently select skilled foreign workers for Canadian immigration so they can help fill high-demand jobs in Canada. If you would like to work in Canada and want to find out if you are likely to meet the criteria for the Express Entry Canadian immigration system, click here!
