Skills in Demand in Canada

Canada is the world’s second-largest country by land area and has its 9th-largest economy in the world. Canada is known for its stable economy with many developing industries. In 2020, the three dominated industries in Canada were

• Real estate: Canada's real estate industry consists of establishments engaged in the following types of activities: real estate management; selling, renting or buying real estate for others; appraising real estate. About 250,000 people are employed in this field.
• Mining: The industry is dominated by oil and gas extraction. The other types of mining activity include mining coal and a range of metals, including gold, silver, copper, nickel, and more. Stone, sand, gravel, clay, and ceramic mining and quarrying are also part of the industry, as well as mining for potash. This industry employs approximately 190,000 people.
• Manufacturing: Canada has a vibrant manufacturing industry: it manufactures food, chemicals, petroleum, fabricated metal products, machinery, transportation equipment, and other products. This field employs approximately 1.5 million people.

International trade, including both exports and imports, is a large component of Canada's economy, each making up about one-third of GDP. The country's top three trading partners in 2020, by the total volume of the exports and imports of goods and services, were the USA, China, and the United Kingdom.

However, it is only the tip of the iceberg. There are many other unique and prosperous industries in Canada such as fishing, agriculture, scientific research, and, of course, service. You can find out more about the Canadian economy and its projections for the future in our article.

To operate its vast economy, Canada needs qualified, skilled workers. That is the primary reason for Canada’s open and welcoming immigration system. Not only are there many jobs in Canada, the working conditions are some of the best in the world. Here are some reasons a large number of foreigners aspire to live and work in Canada:

1. Vast job opportunities in new sectors: As discussed above, Canada is rapidly advancing in modern technology, making it an ideal place for careers in IT or computer science. There are plenty of job opportunities in high-skilled fields such as aerospace, engineering, telecommunications, and pharmaceuticals. Semi-skilled workers are also in demand in Canada.
2. High average salaries: Canada has among the highest minimum wages in the world, at CAN $11 to $16 per hour, depending on the province or territory. Currently, Canada is experiencing a shortage of skilled and unskilled workers in various industries and regions and the salaries have become even more competitive.
3. Canada’s Social Security System: Unlike most other countries, Canada offers many benefits for temporary foreign workers, such as (a) free healthcare coverage if they meet the eligibility requirements of the province where they work; (b) 14 to 21 days’ mandatory paid vacation per year, plus public holidays; (c) up to 35 weeks of maternity/paternity leave for new parents with 55% of the wages paid by the government (with some restrictions); (d) up to 15 weeks of leave; etc.
4. Immigrate with your family: Some Canadian work permits allow the spouse and children of foreign workers to come to Canada as well.
5. Canada invests research: Canada has a strong research and development community that attracts some of the world's most promising and accomplished minds. These R&D activities lay the seeds for new business models and new companies.
6. Multicultural society: Canada has welcomed immigrants for centuries, thus creating a welcoming environment for many cultures. Many companies and organizations have taken measures to ensure that their company work culture reflects Canada’s diverse population.
7. Canadians are happy people: Canada ranked 14th on the World Happiness Report 2021, which ranks 149 countries based on happiness levels.

The labour market impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to reverberate in Canada’s economy. It drastically altered the list of industries with a shortage of workers in Canada. In 2020, the health care and social assistance sector led in labour demand, accounting for one-fifth of all job postings, while in 2019 the top spot was occupied by the retail trade sector.

In 2021, the situation has changed slightly. Many industries have struggled to return to regular working capacity due to COVID-19, and data shows that the following sectors have the largest number of job vacancies in Canada:

1. Health care and social assistance: Vacancies in health care and social assistance have increased by 60% compared to 2019, the largest increase of any sector. Vacancies grew in all subsectors, led by hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities. This sector represented one in seven job vacancies in Canada. It is projected that there will be more than 108,000 unfulfilled job vacancies by the end of 2021.
2. Hospitality, accommodation and food service: These sectors were hardest hit by COVID-19 shutdowns, and many of its workers migrated to other jobs. That is why it is predicted that labour shortages facing this industry won't be over any time soon. The number of job vacancies in accommodation and food services increased by 15%. This increase was most prominent in the “food services and drinking establishment” subsector (+21.2%), as restaurants and bars began to come back to operation. These businesses were hardest hit and their worker pool has been particularly affected by the tightening and recent easing of public health restrictions. 89,000 job vacancies are expected as of the end of 2021.
3. Construction: The construction industry has reported a record number of job vacancies in 2021, especially in masonry, painting, and electrical work. Vacancies in construction increased by 47% over 2020-2021. Carpenters, construction trade helpers, and labourers also accounted for a large portion of the rise in job vacancies. There are expected to be more than 62,000 job vacancies by the end of 2021.
4. Manufacturing: Vacancies in the manufacturing sector increased by 29%. The increase was spread across several subsectors, with the largest gains in food manufacturing and wood product manufacturing. By the end of 2021, there will be more than 65,000 job vacancies in this sector.
5. Retail trade: Job vacancies in retail trade increased to more than 84,000 (+31%) in the third quarter of 2021, with the largest gains in food and beverage stores, building material supply dealers, and garden equipment shops.
6. Technology: IT continued to be a hot sector in Canada last year as companies adapted their ecommerce and digital strategies. During the COVID pandemic, the number of vacancies in this sector has remained quite high.

In general, the increase in job vacancies has been secular i.e. it is observed in all Canadian provinces and territories. The largest increases are in Quebec (+38%) and Ontario (+24%) compared to the number of available vacancies by the end of 2019. Canada needs newcomers to help fill these labour market gaps and sustain its economy, especially during the time of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada’s government recognizes this need and is implementing creative policies in response.

Technological progress, new business models, climate changes, and the pandemic are changing life in Canada, including the nature of work and expectations at work. These changes impact the skills Canada needs and the way it acquires or develops these skills.

While researching this topic, you may find two completely different lists of in-demand skills in Canada:

• The list published by the Canadian government: In this list, you will find jobs that mostly require semi-skilled experience, such as drivers, cooks, salespersons, etc., or skills that are in-demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as nursing, cleaning and sanitizing, or medical laboratory skills.
• The list published by private companies: This list describes skills that are in general demand in Canada, such as scheduling, customer service, ecommerce sales, budgeting, or administrative support. There was a demand for these skills before the pandemic, and they remain in demand, but the number of vacancies in these fields is lower than those in the fields in the government list.

We will briefly describe skills described in both lists.

If you qualify for any of the above jobs and are a foreigner who is curious about moving to Canada, you should know that you are allowed to work in Canada only if you have a valid Temporary Work Permit or Permanent Resident status.

Temporary Work Permit

There are two main programs for persons who want to perform temporary work in Canada:

• Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP): developed for persons who will work in Canada only for a specific employer;
• The International Mobility Program (IMP): for persons who want to have the freedom to work for any employer in Canada.

There are also many immigration-specific programs for some categories of workers who want to settle in Canada. However, please note that ​​in almost 75% of the cases you need to have secured a job in Canada before you can apply for any type of Work Permit.

Permanent Residence

There are three main pathways for skilled and semi-skilled workers who want to obtain permanent residence in Canada:

• For persons with skilled and semi-skilled work experience who want to settle in Canada within six months – the Express Entry immigration programs.
• For persons who want to settle and work in a particular Canadian province or territory, except for Quebec – the Provincial Nominee Program.
• For persons who want to settle and work in Quebec – the Quebec Skilled Worker Program.

If you consider moving to Canada, contact us, and our team of professionals will help you navigate in the process of immigrating to Canada. We will review your background and provide you with a realistic assessment of your chances of success. If you decide to pursue one or more immigration programs, we can manage your application and all related tasks.

If you are unsure about your likelihood of success, contact us for a free evaluation. If you still have any other questions that are not addressed in this article, please contact us and we will be happy to help.