Canadian workers re-training for new opportunities: Survey

88 per cent plan on or are considering acquiring new skills

Many Canadian workers are planning to capitalize on skills shortages by retraining for new job opportunities or acquiring new skills, according to a survey.

About 88 per cent of Canadian workers are planning on or considering acquiring new skills to take advantage of skills shortages in other industries, according to Hays Canada’s What People Want 2013 survey, which collected information from more than 3,000 working and unemployed Canadians.

Most Canadians (75 per cent) believe there is a moderate to extremely high skills shortage, and 78 per cent experience moderate to extremely high workplace pressure as a result.

“Canadian businesses have options when it comes to dealing with skills shortages,” said Rowan O’Grady, president of Hays Canada. 

“When the perfect candidate does not leap off the page they can invest in those who come across as smart, with related education and work experience, someone who can be trained for the position. Making this investment in an employee allows for career progression and brings rewards in terms of loyalty and retention.”

Fifty-six per cent of the Canadian labour force doesn’t know what the federal government’s Canada Job Grant program is, the survey found, and of those that do, 44 per cent don’t believe it’s a good solution to the skills shortage issue.

Thirty-eight per cent of the Canadian labour force is likely to highly likely to relocate for the right opportunity and 70 per cent rank their level of mobility within Canada as moderate to extreme.

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