Labour Market Shortages
Tight labour markets are here to stay — we’d better start planning for them
Job vacancies remain at record highs in Canada, totaling nearly one million in August 2022 (the latest data available). Although vacancies seem to have plateaued, they remain roughly 80% higher than pre-pandemic levels. The labour force has grown much more modestly – leading to one of the tightest labour markets in Canadian history. This unprecedented…Read More
We’re Back at the In-Person CEA Conference, Presenting Labour Market Trends!
It was truly a blessing to participate in person at the 2022 Canadian Economics Association (CEA) conference after being virtual for over two years! Each year at the start of June, the CEA conference is hosted by a Canadian university. Participants present their research findings, make connections and engage in lectures. The discussions are mostly…Read More
New LMI for Career Practitioners: Webinar Series
In partnership with CERIC, LMIC recently concluded a three-part webinar series on new labour market information (LMI) to support career service practitioners with the information they need to help their clients succeed in a changing, dynamic world of work. Labour Market Information Series: New LMI for Career Practitioners in Canada included three virtual sessions: February…Read More
Bridging the divide between career services and equity-seeking groups in Canada
Surranna Sandy, CEO of Skills for Change, reflects on what the findings in LMIC and FSC’s recent report on career services in Canada mean for the newcomers and low-income people her organization serves. Listen to this article as an audio recording Recently, the Labour Market Information Council (LMIC) and the Future Skills Centre (FSC) launched…Read More
Food service labour shortages in Canada: exploring average hours worked as an indicator
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the accommodation and food services sector harder than any other. Now, even as the broader economy recovers, the food services sector is facing unique challenges bringing people back to work. There have been many recent media stories suggesting food service labour shortages across Canada. Translating this anecdotal evidence into clear…Read More
Addressing critical workforce needs: Ensuring Canada’s food supply in times of crisis
Until a few weeks ago, most Canadians hadn’t thought much about where their food comes from, who produces it, or if there would be enough for everyone. Panic buying across the country has meant that one week there are no eggs in grocery stores, and the next week there is no flour. Confronted with empty…Read More
Gender Implications of COVID-19 Unemployment
Between February and March 2020, the Canadian unemployment rate jumped from 5.6% to 7.8%. This was driven, in large part, by increases in temporary layoffs for occupations in sales and service, education, law, and social, community and government services. As non-essential businesses were forced to close, unemployment in these (and other) occupations grew substantially. This…Read More
A (Small) Glimmer of Hope in Today’s Job Report?
Today’s job report was pretty bleak. We had some early indications (e.g. the number of EI and CERB claims) of how deep the job losses would be and, unfortunately, we have some reason to believe that it will likely get worse before it gets better. But are there signs it will get better? Yes. There…Read More
Understanding and Dealing with Labour and Skill Shortages
On April 9, LMIC participated in the Ottawa Economics Association and Canadian Association Business Economics 2019 Spring Policy Conference. The annual conference is an opportunity for economics, business and policy professionals to come together to discuss and share ideas on the most important economic issues in Canada. This year’s conference explored the ways in which Canada can build resiliency for the future.…Read More
What’s in a name, or three?
It’s difficult to read your top newsfeed or scan your social media without tripping over the issue of labour or skills shortages in Canada. A quick internet search returns results that range from “Severe shortages in the 2018 Canadian labour market,” “Canada’s labour shortage intensifies, with nearly 400,000 vacant jobs,” and “In Canada, labour shortage…Read More