Working Together to Position British Columbia’s Human Capital as a Global

Competitive Advantage

Shannon BaskervilleASSISTANT DEPUTY MINISTER – Labour Market & Immigration DivisionMinistry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation

Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation• Ministry Vision: British Columbia’s globally competitive

economy supports jobs and the success of families and communities across the province.

• Labour Market and Immigration Division mandate: to take a leadership role to invest in the skills and career development for British Columbians and to attract new workers by establishing the province as a destination of choice to live, study, and work for people across Canada and around the world.

Meeting BC’s Human Capital Needs

MATCHING

BC not only needs more skilled workers; it is

imperative workers have the right skills to meet

regional economic opportunities

INFORMATION

Government has developed strong labour

market analytics and forecasting capability that enables us to know where job openings will be, and where there is a need for

workers

COLLABORATION

Matching skills with job openings requires

collaboration – from government, post-

secondary institutions, employers, and other

stakeholders

Where we’ve been: pre-recession to 201520

01

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

-4.0%

-2.0%

0.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

Labour Force Growth Employment Growth Unemployment Rate

Looking ahead: Labour shortage Over 1 million job openings to 2020, and there are only 650,000

young people in our education system.

160,000 is the current ceiling on federal government’s economic immigration.

36% of recent immigrants to Canada have a lower level job than in their country of origin.

1 in 7 small business owners in rural BC are planning to retire within 5 years.

MATCHING: imperative that workers have the right skills to meet regional economic opportunities

People without jobs, jobs without people, “Without effective action, we face a future with large numbers of unskilled workers looking for jobs that require skills they do not possess, and a large number of jobs that will go unfilled” – Rick Miner.

70% of Canadian employers are having difficulties finding qualified employees for key positions.

78% of job openings to 2020 will require some post- secondary education; only 68% currently have post-secondary education.

2 in 5 BC forestry, agriculture, and fishing workers cannot read a newspaper.

BC’s human capital needs over next 5 years... assuming everything goes right

KEY ASSUMPTIONS:

Our labour market system efficiently matches workers to jobs.

Average economic growth is less than 3% per year.

BC continues to welcome an increasing number of immigrants and inter-provincial migrants.

The number of graduates entering the labour market is expected to increase by nearly 6% annually on average.

BC’s human capital needs over next 5 years... Without action

KEY ASSUMPTIONS:

Jobs Plan will stimulate economic activity and job creation

Workers with post-secondary education in the labour market and the number of other entrants to the labour market remain at 2010 levels

The number of new entrants (e.g. high-school graduates and new immigrants) stays constant at 2010 levels

The result: some employers will be unable to fill key positions, while at the same time some workers will be looking for jobs but don’t possess the right skills.

Meeting BC’s human capital needs over next 5

years requires action

Without action, expectations reveal a shortage of about 130,000 workers

There is no “silver bullet” – matching skills to job openings will require several sources of workers

Need to address regional and sector specific challenges

Implications for Natural Resources• There are about 42,000 projected job openings in this sector over the next five years.• Expect to see shortages in the following key occupations:

• Mining – Heavy equipment operators, underground miners, vehicle drivers, machinery/transportation equipment mechanics

• Gas – Primary production labourers, manufacturing operators• Forestry – Labourers, machine operators, machinery/transportation equipment

mechanics• Agri-foods – primary production labourers, supervisory positions, horticulture

workers

• Even in occupations with fewer job openings there are some notable gaps in supply in the following occupations, which have the potential to negatively impact projects: mine service workers, logging and forestry and underground mine workers, and oil and gas operators.

Implications for High-Tech•There are about 28,000 projected job openings in this sector over the next five years.

•Even in occupations with fewer job openings there are some notable gaps in supply in the following occupations, which have the potential to negatively impact projects/businesses:

• Electrical trades and telecommunications occupations, creative designers and craft persons, and technical occupations in computer and information systems.

Discussion questions:

• Are any of you experiencing difficulties in hiring for certain positions in your organization or sector?

• What strategies have been used to attract people for positions in your organization or sector?