Government of Canada launches campaign to help Canadians upgrade their professional skills and succeed in their careers

From: Employment and Social Development Canada

News release

February 12, 2024              Gatineau, Quebec              Employment and Social Development Canada

As Canada’s labour market evolves, it is vital for Canadians to continue learning and upgrading their skills to take advantage of new work opportunities, find well-paying jobs and build rewarding careers.

Today, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault, announced the launch of the Upgrade Your Skills advertising campaign to inform Canadians about financial supports and programs available to help them gain the skills needed to succeed in today’s labour market. The campaign runs from February 5 until March 31, 2024, and targets youth (age 18 to 24) looking to start their career and adults (age 25 to 54) looking to upskill and change or improve their career.

The campaign will reach youth and adults through social media, web, digital radio, public digital displays and national broadcast media and direct them to Canada.ca/develop-your-skills—a repository of information about resources that Canadians can benefit from, including:


This campaign supports the Government of Canada’s efforts to help Canadians access support to overcome barriers to employment and gain valuable work skills and experience to be ready for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

Quotes

“Investing in the workers of today, means experiencing a successful workforce tomorrow. We must provide for workers so they have the right skill sets to find higher paying jobs, protect our standard of living and build a stronger, more resilient Canadian economy.”

– Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault

Quick facts

  • In December 2023, there were 706,000 job vacancies in Canada and 1.2 million Canadians were unemployed. Contributing factors include:

    • Aging population – More than 1 in 5 working-age Canadians (21.8%) are close to retirement age (between 55 and 64 years), an all-time high in the history of Canadian censuses.
    • Technological advances – Digitalization and automation were already well underway before the pandemic and COVID-19 accelerated it. Workers with digital skills are now in high demand.
    • Flexibility – In 2023, 20.1% of workers were working from home compared to 7.1% in 2016. More employees have flexible work arrangements and now make it part of their job search criteria.
    • Shortage of highly specialized workers – In many sectors, vacancies may be due to a shortage of highly specialized workers. According to the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, second quarter 2023, businesses cited recruiting skilled employees as the second-most challenging expected obstacle, after inflation.
    • Newcomer work experience and credential recognition – Among recent immigrants who arrived in Canada in the previous five years with work experience or post-secondary credentials from abroad, nearly 6 in 10 (58.2%) have faced difficulties finding work. The most common difficulties encountered were not having enough Canadian job experience (22.7%), having no connections in the job market (20.3%) and lacking enough references from Canada (18.5%).

Associated links

Contacts

For media enquiries, please contact:

Mathis Denis
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages
343-573-1846
mathis.denis@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
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