In a recent report by Statistics Canada, the country’s labor shortage is at an all-time high with 1 million vacancies. 

Canada appears to have recovered from the global pandemic that struck in late 2019. With Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) now exceeding pre-pandemic levels, about 115% of jobs lost during the pandemic has restored.

Canadian employers are now looking at ways to fill the vacancies in their sectors. Immigration will play a crucial role in helping fill in the shortages and assist the country in sustaining the current economic growth.

Here are a couple of the key strategies the Canadian government is using to fill in the 1 million vacancies available:

International Students

One of the first on the list is international students. To make it easier for foreign students to remain in the country and gain local work experience, the government allowed the extension of Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs). This allows international students with expiring PGWPs to extend for an additional year and a half (18 months).

As Express Entry draws paused in September of last year, many international students were worried that their status would expire before they could apply for Permanent Residency. 

Extending the status of PGWP holders will allow international students in Canada to seek more opportunities, fill in vacancies, and gain eligibility for Canadian permanent residency. 

Express Entry Draws

Express Entry is Canada’s key system to attract foreign talent and manage immigration applications. After pausing Express Entry draws in 2021, the federal government announced that they will resume the draws in July.

Apart from the resumption of Express Entry draws, the federal government also  announced that it is currently in the process of approving Bill C-19. 

Bill C-19 permits the immigration minister control over who is selected in the Express Entry draws. Instead of drawing candidates based solely on their Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS), the minister can select candidates based on their ability to meet the country’s economic needs. This means that the immigration minister can restrict the draws to particular occupations or industries, regardless of CRS score. 

Canada remains an aging population with declining birth rates. Because of this, immigration will remain one of the crucial sources of talent to fill in the 1 million vacancies and support the country’s economic growth.

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