Going to Live and Work in Canada as a Skilled Migrant: Update
Image via WikipediaIf you’re thinking about starting a new life in Canada, and you’re going to apply for a visa as a skilled migrant, the latest news from the jobs market and immigration department will be of interest and use to youIf you’ve decided that 2011 is the year you finally turn your dreams of relocating abroad into reality, and Canada is your destination of choice, this update on the jobs market, employment landscape and changes to immigration rules in Canada is for you.
As a skilled migrant hoping to move to live, work and start a new life in Canada, it’s imperative that you keep abreast of any changes that could impact on you. As we all know, Canada’s economy has faired far better than America’s or Great Britain’s over the past few years, but the latest job statistics show that some employment sectors are cutting workers.
Depending on your skill set and where you want to work in Canada, it may be time for you to speed up your visa application and get moving before job opportunities dry up. Alternatively, if you’re hoping to work in some regulated professions in Canada, there is good news relating to skill matching and international qualifications recognition.
The unemployment rate in Canada in December held steady at 7.6% - but if you look much more closely at the statistics, you can see some notable developments. For example, the construction sector seems to be constricting, which is not good news if you’re a skilled migrant potentially planning on working in the construction trade.
To date Canada’s property market has been relatively steady compared to our own for example, but a sharp downturn in numbers employed in the construction industry in December 2010 suggests that this sector could be weakening. 27,000 jobs were lost in this sector alone at the end of 2010, and the number of new starts was down.
Other sectors that saw a decline in numbers included healthcare and social assistance, wholesale and retail trade, business building and agriculture – although this may be a seasonal downshift.
The good news in terms of increasing jobs numbers and employed persons is to be found in the following sectors however: - manufacturing, transportation, warehousing and natural resources – and there has been a really marked increase in the numbers of Canadians working in private sector jobs. The public sector has held steady in terms of the number of employed persons, and there was a fall back in terms of the numbers of self-employed in Canada.
Employment has increased most notably in Quebec, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador.
In terms of other positive marked changes to make note of, there has been a steady increase in the numbers of both young people and those over 55 who are in paid employment. Therefore, no matter what age you’re at, you should not face any discrimination based on your date of birth!
Reviewing employment figures along with certain immigration statistics recently resulted in Canada Statistics revealing that there is a strong and disappointing mismatch between skilled migrants’ qualifications and professional training, and the jobs they end up doing once they move to live in Canada.
The delivery of the report has proved very positive however, as it has led the authorities to make some key changes. Canada Immigration is now beginning to implement a fast track system of recognising foreign professional qualifications and credentials to knock down the barriers many professionals face when trying to get work in their sector in Canada.
So, whether you’re a doctor, a dentist, a teacher or a lawyer, in future your professional accreditation should be recognised in Canada, allowing you a smoother path into work in your chosen sector.
According to Canada Immigration: “The first group of occupations, which includes accountants, medical laboratory technicians, occupational therapists and pharmacists, will get access to the programme by the end of the year with the remainder of the professions such as doctors, engineering technicians, nurses and teachers having access by the end of 2012.”
All in all, by the end of this fast track scheme’s implementation at the end of next year, 15 occupations will be evaluated under the system.
Come from aways are moving to P.E.I
Just before Christmas, Statistics Canada published its third-quarter 2010 estimate of the population of Canada and the provinces. The report confirmed that New Brunswick's population continues to edge up and was estimated to be 752,800 as of October 1, up by 1,100 over the previous quarter.
Encouragingly, the increase was mostly attributable to immigration, as the province received around 700 immigrants, the highest quarterly level observed since the second quarter of 1976.
As I have pointed out previously, this growth is important but not nearly enough to provide replacement workers for the current employment base in the province, let alone provide the workforce for an economic growth agenda.
It's also worthwhile to point out that, despite modest population gains on a quarterly basis for the last three years, the estimated New Brunswick population in October 2010 just came back to its high watermark which was hit way back in October 1996. Since that time, the Canadian population has grown by 4.5 million people (a 15.6-per-cent increase).
Clearly, New Brunswick needs to build on recent positive trends.
There is one interesting story coming out of the latest population data. Little Prince Edward Island is in the middle of a population mini-boom. In the most recent quarterly estimate, the Island had the third-highest growth rate among the provinces. Its population increased by nearly 1,000 (up 0.7 per cent) to 143,200. Statistics Canada reports the increase was primarily due to immigration, as the province received 1,200 immigrants, the highest number since 1971.
In the last year, the population on P.E.I. has grown faster (up 1.3 per cent) than Canada as a whole (up one per cent). This is the first time the Island has outperformed the country as a whole over a 12 month period since the early 1980s.
While New Brunswick's population in October 2010 is the same as it was in October 1996, P.E.I. has registered a respectable 5.5 per cent population growth rate during that period. This was better than four other provinces including Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick.
The recent mini-boom in population on the Island has been fuelled mostly by immigration, which is up four fold in recent years compared to the mid-2000s and inward interprovincial migration (people moving in from other provinces) which is up 25 per cent compared to last year.
Will P.E.I.'s population growth story continue? As I have argued in this column, population growth efforts (such as immigrant attraction) have to be linked to employment growth efforts. Having a job is foundational to keeping an immigrant from leaving the province.
Prince Edward Island has been less successful on the job creation front, showing a slight decline in total employment from December 2009 to December 2010 and only a modest, two per cent growth in the past five years.
However, like New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island is aging quickly and many of the new people moving in could be absorbing the jobs left behind by the increasing number of retirees.
In the end, it is very good news that a small, Maritime Canada province can demonstrate an ability to attract people. P.E.I. has attracted nearly 2,500 immigrants in the past year. Adjusted for population size that would equivalent to New Brunswick attracting nearly 15,000 per year.
In other words, for New Brunswick just to match P.E.I.'s immigrant attraction efforts over the past year, we would need to see a seven-fold increase in our immigration efforts. At that point, it starts to get interesting.
We now have concrete proof the Maritime provinces can attract immigrants in significant numbers. Now we need to have the economic opportunities and social infrastructure to keep them here.
David Campbell is an economic development consultant based in Moncton. He writes a daily blog, It's the Economy Stupid, at www.davidwcampbell.com.
Peter Walsh/Telegraph-Journal
While New Brunswick's population continues to grow, it is being outpaced by Prince Edward Island. On a proportional basis, this province would have to attract 15,000 newcomers a year to match the Island's rate.
As I have pointed out previously, this growth is important but not nearly enough to provide replacement workers for the current employment base in the province, let alone provide the workforce for an economic growth agenda.
It's also worthwhile to point out that, despite modest population gains on a quarterly basis for the last three years, the estimated New Brunswick population in October 2010 just came back to its high watermark which was hit way back in October 1996. Since that time, the Canadian population has grown by 4.5 million people (a 15.6-per-cent increase).
Clearly, New Brunswick needs to build on recent positive trends.
There is one interesting story coming out of the latest population data. Little Prince Edward Island is in the middle of a population mini-boom. In the most recent quarterly estimate, the Island had the third-highest growth rate among the provinces. Its population increased by nearly 1,000 (up 0.7 per cent) to 143,200. Statistics Canada reports the increase was primarily due to immigration, as the province received 1,200 immigrants, the highest number since 1971.
In the last year, the population on P.E.I. has grown faster (up 1.3 per cent) than Canada as a whole (up one per cent). This is the first time the Island has outperformed the country as a whole over a 12 month period since the early 1980s.
While New Brunswick's population in October 2010 is the same as it was in October 1996, P.E.I. has registered a respectable 5.5 per cent population growth rate during that period. This was better than four other provinces including Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick.
The recent mini-boom in population on the Island has been fuelled mostly by immigration, which is up four fold in recent years compared to the mid-2000s and inward interprovincial migration (people moving in from other provinces) which is up 25 per cent compared to last year.
Will P.E.I.'s population growth story continue? As I have argued in this column, population growth efforts (such as immigrant attraction) have to be linked to employment growth efforts. Having a job is foundational to keeping an immigrant from leaving the province.
Prince Edward Island has been less successful on the job creation front, showing a slight decline in total employment from December 2009 to December 2010 and only a modest, two per cent growth in the past five years.
However, like New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island is aging quickly and many of the new people moving in could be absorbing the jobs left behind by the increasing number of retirees.
In the end, it is very good news that a small, Maritime Canada province can demonstrate an ability to attract people. P.E.I. has attracted nearly 2,500 immigrants in the past year. Adjusted for population size that would equivalent to New Brunswick attracting nearly 15,000 per year.
In other words, for New Brunswick just to match P.E.I.'s immigrant attraction efforts over the past year, we would need to see a seven-fold increase in our immigration efforts. At that point, it starts to get interesting.
We now have concrete proof the Maritime provinces can attract immigrants in significant numbers. Now we need to have the economic opportunities and social infrastructure to keep them here.
David Campbell is an economic development consultant based in Moncton. He writes a daily blog, It's the Economy Stupid, at www.davidwcampbell.com.
Alberta's oilsands: investment, jobs and prosperity
Image via WikipediaBy Harvey EnchinSource: The Vancouver Sun
Here's my take on the oilsands, which appeared as an editorial in The Vancouver Sun Nov. 24, 2010.
World energy consumption of oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear energy, and hydroelectricity fell by 1.1 per cent last year, the first decline since 1982. But environmentalists might want to postpone their celebration. The decline was the result of recession, not conservation, mainly affecting North America and Europe. Energy use soared in developing nations; indeed, it doubled in China, with oil retaining its position as the No. 1 energy source.
Once the economic recovery gains momentum, energy-consumption growth should resume its vigorous ascent.
This is good news for Canada, and particularly for Alberta and British Columbia, which are blessed with bountiful reserves of oil and natural gas. Of course, the main repository of wealth is Alberta's oilsands, which have drawn global energy companies en masse to Fort McMurray and environs.
Their plans include hundreds of billions of dollars in investment, generating an estimated $1.7 trillion in economic activity and 465,000 direct and indirect jobs over the next 25 years.
From the past decade through the next, the oilsands are expected to contribute $800 billion to gross domestic product and $123 billion to provincial and federal governments through royalties and taxes.
A single company, Total E&P Canada, a unit of Total SA of France, has interests in five major oilsands projects and intends to invest $15 billion to $20 billion in the Alberta economy. By itself, Total's 75-per-cent stake in the Joslyn North Mine Project will require direct capital investment of $7 billion to $9 billion. Total has 280 people in its Calgary office today but figures that number will rise to 1,300 over the next 10 years.
When president Jean-Michel Gires popped into Vancouver recently, he wasn't sightseeing. He was recruiting. With a population of only 3.6 million, he explained, Alberta cannot supply all of the labour needed to develop the oilsands. Even today, people from all over Canada, and abroad work at the oilsands with Ontario accounting for 20 per cent of the approximately 250,000 direct and indirect jobs to date.
And what kind of jobs are on offer? According to Statistics Canada, the average gross weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees in Canada amounted to $860 as of August 2010. The average weekly earnings in the mining and oil-and-gas-extraction industry were $1,801. In other words, these are jobs that pay roughly $100,000 a year.
To aid its recruitment efforts, Total funds scholarships and research partnerships at universities, including the University of B.C.
The oilsands are crucial to North American energy security, a fact that U.S. President Barack Obama occasionally forgot in his recent rhetoric about "dirty oil." Canada already delivers the equivalent of 2.5 million barrels of oil and petroleum products a day to the U.S., making it by far the country's single largest supplier.
The oilsands represent a long-term commitment from the many domestic and international players developing the resource. Despite all the noise about "green" energy, fossil fuels will be the dominant energy source for many decades to come. In fact, Alberta's reserves are measured in centuries.
All of this translates into a promising and prosperous future of well-paid jobs, revenue for governments to pay for health, education and social programs, and abundant energy to fuel Canada's economic growth.
Labour shortage? Are older workers part of the solution?
Image by thinkpanama via FlickrBy Harvey EnchinGet used to older workers, they'll soon by the norm rather than the exception
With the Canadian unemployment rate at 7.6 per cent and forecasts of slow economic growth ahead, perhaps the last thing on anyone’s mind is a labour shortage. Indeed, the focus of governments at all levels has been creating jobs, not finding people to fill them.
But the demographic reality is that as early as 2016, by some estimates, more people will be leaving the labour force than entering it. Since 2001, the number of people 65 years and older has increased by 11.5 per cent, while the number under 15 has declined by 2.5 per cent. By 2031, 25 per cent of Canada’s population will be over 65.
Many analysts argue that neither an increase in fertility rates nor higher levels of immigration will dramatically alter the outcome. The population is aging and there’s not much we can do about it.
In British Columbia, labour demand is expected to grow by approximately 80,000 more than labour supply by 2019, according to the provincial government’s Labour Market Outlook 2009-2019. Contractors maintaining the power grid and building new lines, for example, are looking for 200 to 300 skilled workers they think they’ll need to complete projects on the books for 2014. And a recent report, British Columbia’s Green Economy: Securing the Workforce of Tomorrow, warned that the province will face a shortage of 65,000 environmental workers by 2020.
Canada is not alone in coping with what some Cassandras call the demographic time bomb. Japan’s population began shrinking three years ago; a quarter of its people are over 65, children make up only 13 per cent. It’s a similar story in Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea.
Given this scenario, societies will be challenged to remain productive, sustain prosperity and care for their elderly.
Fortunately, the 65-plus cohort is in better health than at any time in the past and many senior citizens seem willing and able to work beyond what used to be the mandatory retirement age. When the Canada Pension Plan officially became a government plan in 1965, life expectancy for men was 68 years and for women 74 years. Today, statistically speaking, men can expect to live for 79 years, and women for 84 years. In other words, time spent in retirement has, theoretically, quintupled. Recognizing this demographic sea-change and the pressures it puts on public pension plans, the federal government has begun the process to reform the system,
However, much more must be done in both the public and private sectors to accommodate an older workforce. In the latest issue of WorkSafeBC’s magazine, senior ergonomist Peter Goyert noted the average age of an injured worker has climbed above 40 for the first time and pointed out some of the issues facing employers of older workers. "We don’t see or hear as well," he explained. "Our colour perception deteriorates. Our reflexes slow down and we don’t sleep as well. We’re less flexible and our range of motion shrinks. Our bones thin, our balance declines, and we lose muscle and respiratory and cardiovascular function."
Goyert says an injured worker who needs time off will miss his age in days; a 20-year-old will miss 20 days, a 60-year-old, 60 days.
Older workers bring much to the table — experience, wisdom, loyalty and work ethic — but employers will have to invest more in safety, training (especially in new technologies), and programs that promote well-being to keep them on the job.
Barring any cataclysmic event that reshapes our demographic future, the older worker will be around for a while. And that’s a good thing.
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