Employment Meeting

On January 20^th I hosted a lunch attended by a few business people to discuss the employment challenges and opportunities in Kindersley. The invitation to lunch was in anticipation of a round table meeting I have February 1^st with Jason Kenney, the Minister of Employment and Social Development for the Government of Canada.

The mission of the Ministry of Employment and Social Development is:

ESDC's mission is to build a stronger and more competitive Canada, to support Canadians in making choices that help them live productive and rewarding lives, and to improve Canadians' quality of life.

To do this, we:

• develop policies that make Canada a society in which all can use their talents, skills and resources to participate in learning, work and their community;

• create programs and support initiatives that help Canadians move through life's transitions—from families with children to seniors, from school to work, from one job to another, from unemployment to employment, from the workforce to retirement;

• create better outcomes for Canadians through service excellence with Service Canada and other partners; and

• engage our employees, establish a healthy work environment, nurture a culture of teamwork, and build our leadership capacity.

Highlights of the lunch conversation include:

·         All of the employers present were facing staffing shortages for a variety of reasons including:

·         Tight labour market,

·         Housing,

·         Lack of training

To overcome the shortage of unemployed people in Kindersley’s labour market employers are recruiting staff from across Canada and around the world. A LMO, Labour Market Opinion, is to be submitted prior to bringing new employees from around the world. Challenges have developed with this program and the problem relates to the differing economic activity across Canada. There is a tension between those in the east who may not want the program because of high unemployment while the west wants the program because of the lack of employees. Other LMO challenges include:

·         Not enough media to satisfy requirements,

·         Expense of LMOs though it was recognized it reduced nuisance applications,

·         A complicated process with many people handling one application,

·         Too many changes in too short a time on an ongoing basis,

·         Long time frame to process application resulting in a delay of 6 – 12 months,

·         Decision makers are geographically removed from the region and community,

·         Too involved and time consuming for businesses, and

·         There is no avenue to expedite applications due to local need.

The labour force has also changed regarding both the skills and training candidates for employment have and the work ethic. Some sectors are facing a shortage of skilled workers. It is anticipated that there will be a significant need for more skilled workers over the next 3 – 5 years.

Further, there was some difficulty with the interprovincial migration of skilled and non-skilled workers.

The consensus around the table is that the LMO needs to be improved. Suggestions include:

·         A community by community approach rather than a national approach,

·         The program should be relevant to communities, regions, and businesses,

·         Relevant questions,

·         The history of an employer should be relevant when consideration is given to an application,

·         The same person should be assigned to an application or a community,

 There are also a couple of other points I would like to raise with Minister Kenney:

·         Policy changes to Employment Insurance to allow greater labour mobility across Canada,

·         Continued work allowing skilled workers to migrate across Canada with their provincial credentials,

·         Housing is a significant problem and the Ministry can do more to help communities experiencing housing shortages.

 If you have any thoughts or suggestions please email me.