British Columbia releases 10-year labour market strategy
British Columbia on Friday released its labour market strategy to 2020, aiming to address the looming shortage of skilled workers in the province.
The plan “outlines our strategic approach to ensuring we have enough workers, with the right skills, in every region of the province,” Regional Economic and Skills Development Minister Ida Chong said in a news release.
B.C. predicts it will see a 25 per cent increase in provincial GDP by 2017.
Employment is projected to increase by an average of 1.8 per cent per year, creating 450,000 new jobs by 2019, the province said.
About 676,000 additional jobs are expected to be lost due to retirements.
“That means a total of about 1.1 million jobs will be available by 2019,” the province said.
Currently there are about 650,000 young people are in the education system, “which means that the growth in job openings is expected to outpace the number of workers.”
The Skills for Growth strategy aims to:
- Increase the skill level of British Columbia residents.
- Attract and retain top talent from across Canada and around the world.
- Improve productivity by creating a “culture of innovation that leads to productive workplaces.”
The Skills for Growth strategy was developed in consultation with employers, post- secondary institutions, labour, industry associations, government and other stakeholders.
The strategy is designed to be the starting point of a co-ordinated effort to bring all stakeholders together to help meet British Columbia’s future workforce needs.
To find the study, click here - http://www.workbc.ca/labour_market_statistics/skills_for_growth.htm
