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Canada is Falling Behind in the Race for Talent

Canada is Falling Behind in the Race for Talent

Canada is facing an acute talent crisis. Job vacancies are at all-time highs, yet graduate students are struggling to make ends meet, international students are waiting months for study permit approvals and undergraduates are searching for meaningful work opportunities to develop skills.

(OTTAWA) — January 26, 2023 — Canada is facing an acute talent crisis. Job vacancies are at all-time highs, yet graduate students are struggling to make ends meet, international students are waiting months for study permit approvals and undergraduates are searching for meaningful work opportunities to develop skills.

Universities, businesses, and students are aligned, calling on the government to prioritize early career research talent, reduce barriers for students to come to Canada, improve support and processing for international students in Canada, strengthen our international competitiveness in scientific research and development and the deployment of new technologies, improve and expand access to high-quality lifelong and work-integrated learning opportunities, and work to ensure more of our talented graduates remain in Canada.

For business, what was a tight talent market pre-pandemic has now turned into a crisis, slowing down the country’s economic recovery and impeding growth. As the world’s economies recover from the pandemic, the global competition for talent is already escalating. As a result, Canada needs to take the initiative thoughtfully, but aggressively, to attract capable new students. It’s an essential step in bolstering the supply chain for talent.

To help encourage the federal government to address this crisis, Universities Canada, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce are joining together to launch the Talent for Canada campaign.

Canada cannot afford to fall behind in the global race for talent.

Quotes:

If business drives job creation and growth, people are the engine. To sustain that growth, Canadian businesses need to fill talent needs – they need to fill them yesterday. When I talk with business leaders about what keeps them up at night, finding and retaining the right talent is the most common answer – and this cuts across all sectors of our economy. We have all heard the stories of worker shortages – particularly shortages in skilled work – that are impacting business’ ability to succeed today and grow for tomorrow.

Hon. Perrin Beatty
President and CEO
Canadian Chamber of Commerce

To achieve economic prosperity now and into the future, we need renewed support for Canada’s most talented people at home, and we also need to attract top talent internationally.

Paul Davidson
President and CEO
Universities Canada

As a university student, soon entering the workforce, I am anxious, frustrated, and nervous. Anxious because it feels as if I am entering into a workforce that will be limited in opportunities, frustrated because like many of my peers, it feels like we have done everything right, but the doors that were said to would open once we get an education don’t seem to be opening and I am nervous, because as the cost of living continues to rise, and I fear that I may be priced out of an education.

Christian Fotang
Chair
Canadian Alliance of Student Associations

About our organizations:

About the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations

Established in 1995, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit, national student organization composed of 24 student associations. With its partnership with the Quebec Student Union (QSU), CASA represents a total of 365,000 students across Canada and presents a national student voice to the federal government. CASA advocates for a Canadian post-secondary education system that is accessible, affordable, innovative, and of the highest quality.

About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce — The Future of Business Success

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is Canada’s largest and most activated business network — representing over 400 chambers of commerce and boards of trade and more than 200,000 businesses of all sizes, from all sectors of the economy and from every part of the country — to create the conditions for our collective success. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the undisputed champion and catalyst for the future of business success. From working with government on economy-friendly policy to providing services that inform commerce and enable trade, we give each of our members more of what they need to succeed: insight into markets, competitors and trends, influence over the decisions and policies that drive business success and impact on business and economic performance.

About Universities Canada

Universities Canada is the voice of Canada’s universities at home and abroad, advancing higher education, research and innovation for the benefit of all Canadians.

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For more information:

Karl Oczkowski, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
koczkowski@chamber.ca

Max Greer, Canadian Alliance of Student Associations
communications@casa.ca

Lisa Wallace, Universities Canada
communications@univcan.ca

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