"There are enough employees in the workforce: training them is key"

Abstract

When it comes to the current debate on skills and employment in Canada, however, it may be the "unknown knowns" that are most important. We have oceans of reports and statistics but if their findings are not synthesized, research can't guide policy and won't tell new graduates much about the labour market of today, or how to prepare for the future.

So what happened when 16 teams of researchers working across the country took a look at the existing research on skills and labour markets? Here is some of what they discovered:

1. Canada is unlikely to face a generalized shortage of skilled labour now or in the coming decades, despite an aging population and the changing skill requirements of many occupations. Our labour force continues to expand due in part to longer work lives, while important groups of workers (youth, aboriginal, persons with disabilities, skilled immigrants) are significantly "under-utilized" in the labour market. As in the past, future skills gaps are likely to be cyclical and focused on particular industries and regions.