A new report by ManpowerGroup finds that 41 per cent of Canadian employers say they can’t find the skilled people they need to fill jobs.

“We continue to see increasing demand for skilled workers across all sectors of the Canadian economy from trades and transport to sales,” said Darlene Minatel, country manager of ManpowerGroup Canada. “Today’s job seekers don’t always have the skills employers need. To solve our growing skills gap, we need to take a new approach.

“Employers need to buy skills in the short term, cultivate communities of talent by borrowing from external sources and help people with adjacent skills transition from one role to another. Above all, we need to build talent through upskilling and reskilling programs to develop a workforce with the skills companies and individuals need to succeed.

The ManpowerGroup 2018 Talent Shortage Survey, which was released on Monday, said skilled trades are the hardest jobs to fill in Canada, followed by sales representatives and drivers.

“At a time when organizations face a tightening labour market and the lowest unemployment in 40 years, most of the jobs where demand is growing are mid-skilled roles that require post-secondary training, yet not always a full university degree,” said Manpower.

“Nearly three in four of the companies surveyed (68 per cent) are investing in learning platforms and development tools to build their talent pipeline, while 28 per cent of employers are changing their existing work models, including offering flexible work arrangements to attract and retain talent, according to the nearly 2,000 employers surveyed. More than half of companies (56 per cent) are looking at different talent pools for skills, including boomerang retirees or returning parents and part-timers.”

Manpower said that globally, 45 per cent of employers say they can’t find the skills they need. Large organizations (250-plus employees) are struggling the most: more than half (58 per cent) of large organizations in Canada reported talent shortages this year.

Mario Toneguzzi is a veteran Calgary-based journalist who worked for 35 years for the Calgary Herald in various capacities, including 12 years as a senior business writer.

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