No ease-up in labour shortage
Immigrants not matched with needed skills
By Adam Clayton
The Winnipeg Sun (Canada), February 8, 2007
http://winnipegsun.com/Business/2006/12/08/2686381-sun.html
Small and medium-sized business owners are concerned about a labour shortage and the federal immigration system isn't much help, according to a new report.
A report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business released yesterday found 91% of labour shortages in the small to medium business market are in non-professional categories.
Meanwhile, 65% of economic immigrants -- those selected for their skills and ability to contribute to Canada's economy -- are professionals.
'They have qualifications that don't meet our job demand,' said Shannon Martin, provincial director of the CFIB.
'That's not where we have the shortages. The shortages are in construction, transportation and agriculture.'
Approximately 60% of the immigrants who entered Canada in 2005 were classified as economic immigrants by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Martin said data collected earlier this year by the provincial CFIB found 64% of small and medium-sized business owners are concerned the shortage of qualified labour in Manitoba is growing.
Martin said the provincial government has done an outstanding job in bringing immigrants to Manitoba through the provincial nominee program.
One of the biggest problems in landing the type of workers needed here and throughout the rest of the country is bureaucratic red tape at the federal level, he said.
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'A lot of businesses don't utilize the immigration system to fill their labour needs just because of the time commitment required,' he said. 'The red tape is tremendous.'
The report released yesterday contains more than 50 recommendations to solve a shortage of labour based on a survey of nearly 12,000 small businesses.
They include a stronger focus on trades and medium-skilled job categories and making it easier for temporary foreign workers to become permanent residents.
For copy of report: http://www.cfib.ca/research/reports/rr3026.pdf
For Canadian Federation of Independent Business go to: www.cfib.ca
