Durham's changing workforce


August 24, 2011
By Geoff Zochodne/The Oshawa Express
Twenty years from now, two of the following three will be true of the labour force:
It will be older. It will be more diverse. It will be based on the second moon of Jupiter.
The first two are accurate, states a recent report from Statistics Canada. The third is a flight of fancy.
StatsCan’s report, titled “Projected trends to 2031 for the Canadian labour force,” outlines a future workforce that contains more workers over the age of 55 and who were born outside Canada.
Overall, the labour force will increase by at least 20 million additional workers. And, according to StatsCan, nearly one in four of those workers will be over 55. By 2031 one in three members of the labour force would be foreign-born as well.
This forthcoming trend will not escape Durham Region either. A general demographics report done by the Toronto Region Research Alliance (TRRA), “a public-private partnership supported by the governments of Ontario and Canada, and a wide range of regional stakeholders from the private sector, universities, colleges, and research hospitals,” says similar things for the local scene.
In the report, the Oshawa Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), which includes Clarington and Whitby, is expected to grow both older and more diverse in the near future.
By 2015, more than one-third of the Oshawa CMA’s population would be over 55 and a fourth would be immigrants.
An aging population and workforce is not a bad thing, says Jim Freeman, president of the Durham Region Labour Council; if you prepare ahead of time. What Freeman would like to see is an increased Canadian Pension Plan (CPP), which would entice older workers to retire comfortably while opening up jobs to a younger generation as well.
“The Canada Pension Plan as it stands is not enough to keep seniors out of poverty,” says Freeman. “If you actually make it affordable for people to retire they would.”
He also thinks that the jobs of the future are green ones and that the government should be investing in new technology for skilled workers.
“The factories are already there and they’re sitting there empty,” he states.
As for an increased amount of immigrants living and working in Durham Region, Freeman is concerned they are not being given the chance to become Canadian citizens and instead wind up being rented workers.
“They aren’t given the same rights as other Canadian workers,” he says. “They’re bringing them in and then sending them home.”
Deficit-cutting may be the hot-button issue in Ottawa right now, continues Freeman, but he asks why the government is cutting jobs that could be used for the same purpose.
“The smartest way to get out of the deficit is create jobs and you don’t do that by laying people off,” he explains.
Aubrey Andrews, a manager for diversity and immigration for Durham Region Social Services, says that the growing immigrant population will be part of the reason why Durham will top over a million residents by 2031.
“A fair bit of that growth can be attributed to immigrants,” she says, adding that between 2001 and 2006, 34 per cent of all growth in the region came from immigrants; which is being incorporated into the local economy.
“If you’re in business, you’re in the business of serving a diverse population,” Andrews explains. “We anticipate population shifting.”
Durham Region is not a first-stop population for immigrant families, she adds.
“Durham is traditionally a site of secondary migration.”
But enticing foreign-born workers here can do things for the region, like opening up foreign markets and diversify and bolster creativity among the work force, maintains Andrews.
“I think that immigration is an opportunity, and it’s an opportunity to live in a place like Durham Region.”

Citizenship and Immigration Canada Selects CSC for Visa Services across Latin America


FALLS CHURCH, Va., Aug 22, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has entered into a service agreement with Computer Sciences Canada Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CSC CSC +2.97% , to provide administrative support to facilitate the successful submission of visa applications from Latin America. The service agreement has a two-year base period and two one-year options.
"We are pleased to support Canada's visa services in support of Citizenship and Immigration Canada's efforts to provide better service to Latin America," said Charlie Whelan, president of Canadian operations for CSC's North American Public Sector (NPS). "Our visa application centers and information services will provide improved access, onsite client service and secure transmission of applications and documentation that will eliminate unnecessary delays in processing at the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Visa Office."
As part of this service agreement, Computer Sciences Canada will establish and operate Visa Applications Centers (VACs) in 15 countries across Latin America. These centers will handle applications for residents of Latin America applying for temporary resident visas to Canada, as well as permit and travel document applications for people seeking to travel to Canada from Latin America. Computer Sciences Canada will also provide information services for visa applicants via web sites and contact centers. Since 2009, Computer Sciences Canada has provided similar services to the citizens of Mexico under a separate service agreement with Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Computer Sciences Canada will go live with these new services in September 2011.
Currently, CSC supports the governments of the United States, Austria, Canada, Germany, Australia and the United Kingdom with services in more than 100 countries and in more than 20 languages. Since 2000, CSC has provided accurate visa information and prompt services to more than 40 million visa applicants, scheduling more than 20 million appointments. Since beginning our visa applicant biometric collection services, CSC has securely enrolled millions of applicants.
About CSC's North American Public Sector
As a go-to partner for critical national programs, CSC offers thought leadership, specialized skills and innovative services in critical areas for government clients. Leveraging a global footprint in both private and public sectors, and experience gained from serving almost every U.S. government agency, CSC's North American Public Sector (NPS) brings innovative ideas and proven best practices to help the U.S. government meet mission-critical requirements. For more information about CSC's government solutions, visit http://www.csc.com/government .
About CSC
CSC is a global leader in providing technology-enabled business solutions and services. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., CSC has approximately 93,000 employees and reported revenue of $16.2 billion for the 12 months ended July 1, 2011. For more information, visit the company's website at www.csc.com .
SOURCE: CSC
CSC 
        Michelle Herd 
        Senior Manager, Communications 
        North American Public Sector 
        703-205-6186 
        mherd@csc.com 
        or 
        Chris Grandis 
        Media Relations Director 
        Corporate 
        703-641-2316 
        cgrandis@csc.com 
        or 
        Bryan Brady 
        Vice President, Investor Relations 
        Corporate 
        703-641-3000 
        investorrelations@csc.com
        


Copyright Business Wire 2011 

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