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Current Trend
Statistics Canada recently released the
latest age and gender statistics based on the 2006 census. The
results show an aging population in which the fastest growing
portion of the population (aged 55 to 64) will soon be exiting the
work force. Canada’s population has been aging steadily for quite
some time now because of low birth rates and longer life
expectancy. However, now that 17 per cent of the work force is
nearing retirement age, economists and policy makers must brace for
a significant changes in the next decade or so. One out of every seven Canadians is a senior citizen. There are more than one million Canadians over 80 years of age and there are over 4,600 centenarians. Every region in Canada is aging, however the West is generally younger than the East. The province of Saskatchewan has the oldest population while Alberta has the youngest. Source: Campbell Cohen Immigration Qualified people are still in high demand in Calgary, according to Calgary Economic Development (CED). CED’s Elsbeth Mehrer, manager of workforce development, admitted that while there are more people than jobs in some skill areas, “accounting, finance and administration are areas where there is still a mismatch of talent. We may have some people who are unemployed, but they may not be the same people who are required in other areas.” This is not the time for companies to become complacent about recruitment, she added. “Calgary companies that think they can cherry pick from the best of the best talent should think again.” Alberta’s unemployment rate has risen to 5.8% in March, up from 3.4% a year earlier, Julie Ball, executive director of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce Talent Pool, said. However, she added, full employment is estimated to be between 4 and 5% in Canada so Alberta’s current unemployment rate signifies a balanced labour market. In such a market, employers need to continue to pay attention to human resources and their employment proposition. “This is not the time to be pulling back on human resources. Don’t think this economic downturn is going to solve the skilled labour shortage,” she said. Source: Troy Media, April 22, 2009, Calgary AB Letting more immigrants into the country – not a controversial overhaul of the country's immigration rules – is the real solution to tackle a growing backlog bogging down the system, a Commons committee has heard. The federal government should aim to accept between 300,000 and 333,000 new immigrants a year – roughly 1 per cent of the Canadian population – up from the current target of between 240,000 and 265,000 now, said Victor Wong, of the Chinese Canadian National Council. "We cannot reduce the backlog unless we increase the immigration target range," he told the Commons' finance committee yesterday. That call was echoed by Sima Sahar Zerehi, of Status Now — Campaign in Defence of Undocumented Immigrants. Last year, the government issued 251,000 permanent resident visas. Both Wong and Zerehi condemned the Conservative's proposals to reform the immigration system to give the immigration minister new powers to decide the categories of newcomers that will be processed. It's billed as an attempt to tackle a backlog of applicants that has stretched to more than 900,000. "The proposed changes will give the minister . . . unfettered power to decide what category of immigrants will be allowed to enter the country each year," she said. Source: TheStar.com; Bruce Campton-Smith, Ottawa Bureau Chief, May 08, 2008 |
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