CIMM – Labour Shortages – November 07, 2023
Key Facts and Figures
- Job vacancies declined again in August 2023 to 682,400, continuing a steady downward trend. This represents 1.7 unemployed persons for every job vacancy, compared to a record low of one (1.0) unemployed person for each vacant job in June 2022.
- Job vacancies in health care and social assistance (136,000) were virtually unchanged from August 2022 and remained the highest across all sectors in August 2023Footnote 1.
- This year, Canada aims to welcome 465,000 newcomers. This number will grow to 485,000 in 2024 and stabilize at 500,000 in 2025.
Key Messages
- Immigration is a driving force behind Canada's labour supply, accounting for almost 100% of labour force growth today and projected to account for 100% of population growth by 2032.
- Permanent and temporary residents help to fill labour market needs and support the development of a strong and prosperous Canada.
- There is more to do to ensure we welcome newcomers with the skills we need to fill jobs in in-demand areas, such as home-building, health-care, and transportation, as well as supporting the jobs of the future.
- We have put in place measures to target immigration in key sectors and will continue to make improvements to ensure that Canada can attract and retain the people we want and need.
- Immigration is essential to Canada’s economic growth and resilience. We are committed to welcoming newcomers who have the skills needed to fill labour shortages and help Canada remain competitive.
Supplementary Information
- This spring, we launched category-based selection in Express Entry, which allows us to bring in more immigrants with work experience in in-demand occupations like healthcare, STEM, trades, transport, and agriculture, as well as individuals with strong French-language skills.
- We also implemented temporary worker measures to facilitate the entry of highly-skilled tech talent and French-speaking workers from all occupations and skills levels. A facilitative process was implemented to extend the authorization to work and stay in Canada for certain PGWP holders, allowing Canada to retain high-skilled talent.
- Other measures include the extension of the Agri-Food Pilot to 2025 and facilitating permanent residence for foreign national physicians.