Labour markets in Canada - Which graduates are really in short supply?

By Ted Hewitt. A spate of analyses and commentaries have appeared recently, proclaiming the deleterious effects of actual and looming skills shortages on the Canadian economy. Yet in reality, the situation – and its solutions – is far more complex than such simple statistics would imply and a closer look at Canada’s “skilled labour shortage” reveals more than a few surprises. Labour shortages, in fact, do not just occur in the sciences, as is commonly presumed. They are just as prevalent – if not more so – in many social sciences and humanities fields. First, consider how the term “skills shortage”, meaning essentially fewer people available to fill critical shortages, is typically characterized. A report prepared by the CIBC World Markets indicates, for example, that in 2012, no less than 30 percent of Canadian businesses indicated that they faced a skilled labour shortage, double the number posted in 2010. Another survey of 100 senior executives published late last year by Workopolis similarly indicated that 32 percent believed that the shortage of skilled workers was the number one problem facing Canadian business in general. Read more...