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Burnaby business group says labour shortage 'needs action' from province

“Employers across all sectors are already struggling to find enough workers to fill vacancies today"
paul-holden-burnaby-board-of-trade
Burnaby Board of Trade President and CEO Paul Holden.

The Burnaby Board of Trade is calling for more action after a new B.C. Labour Market Outlook showed thousands of jobs could be unfillable in the next decade. 

In a news release, the Burnaby Board of Trade says employers across numerous sectors are already struggling to fill vacancies, with the province now saying there will be at least one million job openings over the next 10 years. 

The province claims nearly 80% of the future job openings will require some level of post-secondary education or training. 

The largest number of job openings are expected in the health-care, social assistance and education industries. The report claims many of the openings will provide services such as early childhood education, counselling, child protection, community housing and food services. 

“Employers across all sectors are already struggling to find enough workers to fill vacancies today," Burnaby Board of Trade President and CEO Paul Holden said. 

“If 83,000 more jobs go unfilled, this will only exacerbate the challenges facing local businesses, and could serve as an economic drag for the province as a whole." 

The Labour Market Outlook notes there will be a worker supply shortage of 83,000 over the next ten years even after accounting for international immigration, migration from other provinces, and young people entering the workforce for the first time.

"To meet this shortage, the Burnaby Board of Trade is encouraging the government to continue to act on policies that help more people enter the workforce, develop needed skills, and help businesses equip themselves with productivity tools for an era of persistent labour shortages. 

“While the forecast of 1 million new jobs is exciting, the looming skills shortage is concerning.

"But by investing in things like childcare so more parents can return to work, by making up-skilling and re-skilling easier and faster, and by finally addressing foreign credential recognition, we can tackle this problem and seize the opportunities we have ahead of us,” adds Holden."

Of the total openings, 63% will replace people who are leaving the workforce permanently such as retirees. 

The remaining 37% will be new jobs created by economic growth and COVID-19 pandemic recovery, according to the province. 

“Our government remains committed to supporting people and communities now and into the future. Despite the challenges of the past two years, there are new opportunities ahead for people looking for good-paying careers," Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training and MLA for Burnaby-Deer Lake Anne Kang said in the outlook. 

“We’re working to break down barriers and expand affordable post-secondary and skills training opportunities, so that with the right supports, the people of British Columbia can benefit from the good jobs this report projects. With more than one million forecasted jobs, we’re laying the foundation for future prosperity and we will not leave anyone behind. Diversity will be our strength as we continue to build an innovative, sustainable and inclusive economy with good, secure jobs for people in B.C.”