Career Options
Hiring activity looks solid: Manpower surveyThere's good news and better news for job seekers -- especially those seeking work in the skilled trades. LAUREN BRESLIN |
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 [ 2006-04-05 ] |
Since last year, construction employment has ballooned by 8.9% reports the February edition of the Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey - that's more than 87,000 positions.
The good news is that the Canadian unemployment rate fell to 6.4% in the month of February, matching a historic 30-year low set in November of 2005. The economy added 24,700 jobs that month, although the bulk of them were part-time jobs, reports Statistics Canada.
The better news is that hiring activity across Canada looks solid for the months of April, May and June, according to the latest Employment Outlook Survey conducted by Manpower, a worldwide employment company.
The Manpower survey is conducted quarterly to measure employers' hiring intentions for the months ahead. Of the 1,700 Canadian employers interviewed, 34% plan to add more staff, while 5% plan on cutbacks -- making an overall net employment outlook of 29%.
In particular, people looking for work would do well to consider careers in mining, construction or durable goods manufacturing, each of which forecast a steady hiring climate for the second quarter of 2006, according to the survey.
The mining industry -- which includes oil and gas workers -- posted the highest gains with a seasonally adjusted net employment outlook of 33% in the second quarter.
Employers in the construction sector also point to continued growth, with a seasonally adjusted net employment outlook of 18%. Since last year, construction employment has ballooned by 8.9% -- that's more than 87,000 positions. In February alone, 14,000 construction jobs were created according to the latest StatsCan Labour Force Survey.
Meanwhile, the durable goods manufacturing sector, which covers goods like vehicles and appliances, reported a seasonally adjusted outlook of 12%, up from 7% in the previous quarter. The non-durable goods sector trails closely behind, with a seasonally adjusted net employment outlook of 10%.
These figures bode well for job seekers, but they also point to a growing skills shortage in the trades. A report from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce reveals that 52% of the skilled labour force is slated to retire over the next 10-15 years, and Canada could be short one million workers by the year 2020. The solution to this problem is promotion of the trades as a viable career option, according to Len Crispino, president of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.
"Canada tends not to have a long tradition of respecting the trades," Crispino says. "There isn't that pride that exists, for example, in Western Europe, where people are very proud of their parents handing down the knowledge of the trades -- whether it's a cabinet-maker, whether it's a mechanic, whether it's an electrician and so on. So I think that's one barrier that holds people back from entering the trades."
Crispino also says the shortage of skilled tradespeople could seriously hurt the Canadian economy, and impede access to these services. "If you think you're paying a lot for a plumber or an electrician now, you'll be paying more in the future," he says.
"We need to go out there and really promote the trades," he says.
"We need to demonstrate to the public the value that society places on the trades, and their importance to the Canadian economy,"
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