Future of work
A curated resource of recent research on trends shaping Canada's labour market.
Using a survey of employers on workers’ skills, the authors investigate recruitment and retention issues experienced by Canadian businesses. Smaller businesses were less likely to encounter recruitment difficulties or skills gaps compared to larger businesses.
Nearly half of employers (44.5%) experienced difficulties finding candidates who possessed the skills needed to do their job at the required level. More than half (56.1%) reported skills gaps in their workforce — where the employer believes that workers do not possess the adequate competencies for their current role.
The skills needing the most improvement included technical, practical or job-specific skills (57.5%), followed by problem-solving skills (46.2%) and customer service (34.3%). The accommodation and food services sector had the highest rate of reported skills gaps (78.8%), while the professional, scientific and technical services sector had the lowest (34.3%).
This report is an early exploration into Canada’s skills gaps and recruitment difficulties that require further attention. Additional insights including the severity of skills gaps amongst industries and regions and the strategies used by employers to address skills gaps, which can be explored in the survey of employers on workers’ skills.