Training, flexibility and deregulation are on wish list
Labour market issues are nothing new in Canada, but in Quebec there are several unique issues standing in the way of economic growth, according to the province’s largest employer council.
The Conseil du Patronat du Québec (CPQ) recently released a position paper on improving Quebec’s skilled workforce, with solutions it says could be adopted elsewhere in the country.
Among the challenges in Quebec, workers retire almost two years earlier (60.2 compared with 61.9 in Canada as a whole), young people are more likely to drop out of high school (in 2008, 29% of students in public high schools left without a diploma), and the ageing workforce is headed toward decline by 2014.
“Hiring good quality manpower is a key issue,” says president Yves-Thomas Dorval. “If you want to face future challenges, we need to have a labour force that’s highly skilled.”
The CPQ also identified a lack of on-the-job training, poor integration of immigrant labour, and rigid regulations as challenges to building a workforce that will entice and sustain private investment.
Dorval says improving the labour market starts with overhauling the province’s education system. The CPQ’s recommendations include harmonizing professional and technical training courses with high schools to make the transition easier and more enticing to graduates. The council would also like universities to have autonomy to set tuition fees based on the subjects they offer. Dorval says this would attract top-quality students, instructors and research.
The second step in the CPQ’s plan is to encourage more on-the-job training. The council, which represents the majority of Quebec’s large employers, says management and unions need to be more flexible in how they offer and accommodate continuous learning.
“There’s a tendency for unions to negotiate systems that are less flexible to (accommodate) both work hours and training,” says Dorval. “Workers who want to upgrade their skills can’t do it part-time outside their regular work hours.”
The CPQ is also calling on both parties to reduce incentives for early retirement, and instead offer mentoring, training to update skills or changes within the organization to entice workers to stay longer.
Another proposed measure would see what the council calls “intelligent regulation.” The council says many of Quebec’s regulations, particularly in construction, are complex and restrictive. The CPQ would like to see the Quebec Labour Code amended to “restore balance” between employers and unions and “instill more democracy within unions.”
The council recommends adopting a secret ballot in the accreditation process, providing mechanisms for workers who are “wronged” by unions, and instituting stricter obligations to make union spending more transparent.
The CPQ would also like to see more flexible regulations in the construction industry. Currently, Act R-20 applies to 60 per cent of construction work in Quebec and sets out descriptions in 26 trades, compared with six in Ontario. This means that, for example, employers may be required to hire a tile setter and carpet installer – two separate qualifications – rather than one worker with a base in both trades. Dorval says this limits employers.
“Unfortunately, for us, the regulations often look at goals and results instead of process and wall-to-wall objectives,” he says.
The CPQ is also calling for changes to how construction workers are placed. Currently, placement is most often determined by the trade union. The council says contractors are “dependent on the unions’ goodwill” and often see increased costs as a result. The CPQ is calling for the establishment of an updated list of qualified workers in each trade to give employers more control over major worksites.
Dorval says, ultimately, the position paper is about “opening a social dialogue” that will create a better climate for private investment.
