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Canada’s skilled trades labour unions train 80 per cent of construction apprentices, including 40,000 trained annually in concert with the oilsands industry and our employer partners,

We need to work jointly to attract more Canadians into the skilled trades, provide more classroom and employment-based training opportunities, improve incentives to move within Canada for work, and as needed, increase both permanent and temporary immigration. More skilled people who are mobile, certified and ready to work is a win-win,” said Collyer.

Alberta’s new Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education, Stephen Khan, will announce a partnership with SAIT Polytechnic on Monday to help address the looming worker shortage. By 2014, the Alberta government estimates that approximately 16 per cent of its construction workforce will need to be replaced.

Recommendation #1: Eliminate the Low Skill Pilot Project for temporary foreign workers.

increase the pool of workers to fill low-skilled jobs on an ongoing basis, employers should make these jobs more attractive to people already in Canada, whether immigrants or Canadian born. In addition, Citizenship and Immigration Canada should increase family class and refugee admissions to provide more labour force participants who, as permanent residents, have rights and access to services to prevent exploitation. Increasing points in the Federal Skilled Worker Program for demand occupations, the trades, and validated job offers will also broaden the pool of workers

Recommendation #2: Monitor recruitment and working conditions of temporary foreign workers.

There were two fields of study (life sciences and computer, mathematics and physical sciences) that accounted for the highest proportions of doctoral graduates who left Canada for the United States. The vast majority of doctoral graduates in both fields had a job waiting for them in the United States.

factor most commonly cited for attracting doctoral graduates to the United States was the quality of the research facilities or the commitment to research

In recent decades, though, many of the fastest-growing cities in America, like Phoenix and Riverside, Calif., have given us a very different urban model. These places have traded away public spaces for affordable single-family homes, attracting working-class families who want their own white picket fences. West and Bettencourt point out, however, that cheap suburban comforts are associated with poor performance on a variety of urban metrics. Phoenix, for instance, has been characterized by below-average levels of income and innovation (as measured by the production of patents) for the last 40 years. “When you look at some of these fast-growing cities, they look like tumors on the landscape,” West says, with typical bombast. “They have these extreme levels of growth, but it’s not sustainable growth.” According to the physicists, the trade-off is inevitable. The same sidewalks that lead to “knowledge trading” also lead to cockroaches

The main thing we talked about yesterday at the ONEdmonton forum was economic development. In addition to breakouts and other discussion, we had two informative presentations that I hope to blog about over the next while. In her presentation on Diversifying Edmonton’s Economy, Tammy Fallowfield, EEDC’s Executive Director of Economic Development, touched on shifting the “Alberta Advantage”. Here’s what her slide said: Remain relatively low tax Not a low cost environment Not a surplus of labour Not a currency ‘bargain’

How about our labour force? All across Canada the population is aging, and that (along with our very low fertility rate) is going to lead to labour shortages. Here’s a graph from Alberta’s Occupational Demand & Supply Outlook, 2009-2019 (PDF), that shows this trend for our province:

There are many consequences as a result of this trend, not the least of which is Alberta’s challenge to attract and retain labour. Our taxes will likely also be impacted – an older population means higher costs for health care, and a slow growing labour force means a slow growing tax base.

vision statemen

1. Unleashing innovation.2. Leading in learning.3. Competing in the global marketplace.4. Making Alberta the best place to live, work and visit.

top strategies:• A Learning Alberta – basing Alberta’s growth on the knowledge industry• Securing Tomorrow’s Prosperity: Sustaining the Alberta Advantage – transition to a knowledge-based and value-added economy• A Place to Grow – linking rural economic development with educational attainment levels• Strengthening Relationships – Working strategically to strengthen partnerships between First Nations, Metis and Aboriginal peoples.• Supporting Immigrants, Immigration to Alberta and Integrating Skilled Immigrants into the Alberta Economy – attraction, development and retention of immigrants into Alberta• Growing our Future – integrating life-sciences strategies into innovation and some value-added sectors

Growing War for Talents Looms as U.S. Economy Continues to Recover

the world has entered a new age, where employers will be awakened to the power of humans as the future drivers of economic growth as access to talent replaces access to capital as the key economic differentiator.

Aging workforces, the collaborative power of rapidly-evolving technologies, the need for companies to do more with less, and the problem of the skills young people are being equipped with not matching the skills businesses need are converging, making talent attraction and retention critical in order for organizations to gain a competitive edge

For decades now, at least one-third of the city's 12,000 employees, mainly office workers and professionals, have had a deal where they can work a bit of extra time each day, then take off every second Friday as a holiday.

The argument is that you have to do something like this to make the job attractive or else you won't be able to keep staff. But I can't think of anybody I know outside of government that gets every second Friday off. Can you?

've always thought it's not necessary to retain staff by giving them every second Friday off. ... I'm not buying the logic of the policy."

The reaction was that Edmonton's southern "partner" in the oil industry -Calgary -began to attract the head offices of various oil companies, and consequently outside business interests, including American ones.

In the new global economy, however, Edmonton is developing a reputation as the centre of other industries -industries that cannot necessarily be physically located within the downtown core.

David Whitson, a political science professor at the University of Alberta, notes that Edmonton has started to become a high-tech hub, including the pharmaceuticals industry.

In a sign that labour shortages have returned to Alberta, a major industrial employer launched a hiring campaign Tuesday to attract 9,000 workers in 2011.

Ledcor Industries Inc. has already hired 3,800 workers so far this year.

“Whenever there are quotes about the size of projects, it’s often 50 per cent labour and 50 per cent material,” Walker said.

One big question is: why was the Silicon Valley labour market so tight? Why weren't more skilled workers available to Valley employers?

Two potential explanations spring to mind. One is that there was a structural shortage of skilled workers at the national level, and immigration rules prevented movement from abroad to clear the market. Another is that housing markets responded insufficiently to the demand for shelter in the Silicon Valley area, causing housing costs to rise too high to accommodate new workers. At the height of the tech boom, in 1999, the entire San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose metroplex approved permits for just 26,000 new housing units. In the same year, tiny Las Vegas approved 28,000. Atlanta approved over 60,000. Tight supply fueled high prices. From 1996 to 2001, home prices in San Francisco rose by more than they did during the 2002-2006 bubble. With housing costs soaring, it took very high wages to attract scarce workers. Entrepreneurship seems to have suffered as a result.

Yezdi Pavri, vice-chairman of professional services firm Deloitte in Canada. "There is a competitive business advantage to having a diverse workforce and drawing from the widest talent pool possible. At Deloitte we have created an inclusive meritocracy. We have proven just as other organizations have that diversity leads to innovation. When you capitalize on the different experiences people bring you come up with better solutions. Now, many of our clients push us to have diverse teams. The worst thing you can do these days is go to a client with a team of five white men because that does not represent what the market or what our clients look like.

Here then are some strategies small businesses can use to attract and retain skilled immigrant workers:

"Make it known that as a small employer you are interested in hiring skilled immigrants,"

council sees demand for workers skilled in new technologies associated with unconventional oil and gas exploration and production, as well as increased demand for employees such as water and environmental management technicians, steam engineers and fracking operators,

Attracting workers with the right skills is "essential to sustain growth in the industry," said Jennifer Koury, vice-president corporate services with driller EnerPlus.

"Everyone remembers that in 2007 severe labour shortages put serious limits on our industry and it cost us in the industry dearly," she said. "The (report) has shown us that the industry will soon be entering another severe labour shortage and we need to be prepared."

What is a Next City™? Next Cities™ are places with the assets and amenities that attract and retain a young, educated work force. They have bustling city centers, walkable neighborhoods, diverse career opportunities, and vibrant art and music scenes. In 2008, NGC surveyed young professionals in eight cities. These interviews and focus groups with members of the next generation revealed that they choose where to live based on the following seven indexes, listed in order of importance:1. Cost of Lifestyle: Young professionals are just getting started in their careers, and affordability is key. This index includes variables in the national cost of living index, which encompasses a roof over head, food on the table, clothes on the back, and a warm bed at night. 2. Earning: High school guidance counselors tell students that they’ll have between nine and eleven careers in their lifetime. The earning index measures the diversity of employment opportunities, the percentage of jobs in the knowledge-based sector, and average household income.

3. Vitality: How “healthy” is a city? This index measures air and water quality, green space, and a city’s overall health (e.g., obesity, life expectancy, etc.). 4. After Hours: There’s more to life than work. This index counts the places to go and things to do after work and on weekends. 5. Learning: Is the city committed to high quality education for all of its citizens? This index includes measurements related to educational opportunities and expenditures, educational attainment, and accessibility of Wi-Fi hotspots. 6. Around Town: How easy is it to get to where you want to go in a city? This index measures a city’s walkability, airport activity, commute times, and mass transit opportunities. 7. Social Capital: Great talent comes in every race, creed, and color. This index accounts for how open, safe, and accessible your city is to all people. It includes measures of diversity, crime rates, and civic engagement (e.g., voter participation, volunteerism). Jane Jacobs actually coined the phrase “social capital” in The Death and Life of Great American Cities.