A recent LifeWorks survey has found that 35 per cent of Canadians are either considering or unsure about leaving their current job, exacerbating already stark labour shortages.
The survey also found that 16 per cent of respondents recently resigned due to caregiving responsibilities, and many older workers say they have left due to a lack of appreciation in the workplace.
“Canadians are indicating that actions speak louder than words when it comes to how employers address this,” LifeWorks CEO Stephen Liptrap said in a statement.
“Building a supportive culture that speaks about and provides resources for mental health needs is a great first step. Employers must recognize that employees are considering resigning from their jobs if they don’t get support.”
These figures are consistent with Statistics Canada’s findings from May, wherein StatsCan identified a 23.8 per cent reported labour shortage from several businesses. According to the data, retail businesses report the most significant retention issues, with 32 per cent of businesses being concerned about keeping their employees, while the accommodation and food sector fairs barely any better at 31 per cent.
While these problems are pinned on the pandemic, it would be more accurate to associate them as consequences of lockdowns, as Provinces (such as Alberta) did not face such stark unemployment problems when they were open. Moreover, most people likely would not even know there was a pandemic if it wasn’t for the media doing 24-hour coverage and the government taking away the rights of persons and businesses.
Rather than addressing the root of the problem (i.e. accommodating those affected by the lockdowns, removing barriers to working, or stopping paying people the CRB), the government has instead decided to replace workers with foreign labour.
For instance, on October 21, the Ontario government announced proposed legislation that would “help address the provincewide labour shortage by making it easier for internationally-trained immigrants to start careers in their profession.”
In other words, removing various vetting procedures for prospective immigrants so they can replace Canadians who are, for one reason or another, currently unemployed.
“Ontario is facing a generational labour shortage with hundreds of thousands of jobs going unfilled. However, all too often, newcomers in this province struggle to find jobs in their regulated profession for no other reason than bureaucracy and red tape,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development.
“These are folks who often have the training, experience, and qualifications to work in booming industries where Ontario desperately needs help but are being denied a chance to contribute. If these proposed changes are passed, Ontario would become the first province in Canada to help level the playing field in certain regulated professions so that workers coming here have the opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their loved ones, and build stronger communities for us all.”
As per the Ministry of Labour, the policy entails the following:
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“Eliminate Canadian work experience requirements for professional registration and licensing unless an exemption is granted based on a demonstrated public health and safety risk. These requirements may create situations where workers are unable to obtain Canadian work experience because they don’t have it. This is often cited as the number one barrier Canadian immigrants face in obtaining a job that matches their level of qualification.”
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“Reduce burdensome duplication for official language proficiency testing, so people would not have to complete multiple tests for purposes of immigration and professional licencing.”
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“Allow applicants to register faster in their regulated professions when there are emergencies (such as a pandemic) that create an urgent need for certain professions or trades.”
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“Ensure the licensing process is completed in a timely manner to help internationally-trained immigrants start working in careers that match their skillset.”
If passed, this will mean that immigrants who are not proficient in either of Canada’s languages and have no work experience in Canada will be given residency, licensing, and will likely be aided in finding employment since that’s the whole point of bringing them here.
As far as a solution, this will ameliorate the labour shortage issue. It will not, however, fix the issue of having so many actual Canadians unemployed. Indeed, it will exacerbate it by ensuring those who are out of work remain permanently displaced.
