Introduction

Businesses in Atlantic Canada have told the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency they are unable to meet their clients’ demands and grow their businesses due to a critical shortage of labour and skills. Getting to the bottom of this shortage will not only better serve agency clients, but also provide key information to the government departments that can directly influence this issue.

To get a solid understanding of the shortage, this research project will examine:

• Supply issues, such as characteristics of unemployed or underemployed people.
• Demand issues, such as the types of jobs that are vacant and the range of skills in demand.