New legislation tabled in B.C. promises to increase the supply of workers in 29 professions, including high demand ones such as engineers, teachers, childcare workers, paramedics and veterinarians.
The legislation, which Andrew Mercier, Minister of State for Workforce Development, announced Monday (Oct. 29) is part of a larger push to fill looming job shortages. The provincial government projects one million job openings within the next decade.
Premier David Eby, who joined Mercier at a news conference, said labour supply and housing are the two most pressing issues facing B.C. B次元官网网址淭hese feel like very solvable issues and todayB次元官网网址檚 legislation is part of how we are going to solve that issue.B次元官网网址�
Mercier said about 60 to 70 per cent of the one million job openings will come from retirements, as the proportion of British Columbians over age 65 continues to grow.
Filling those openings will take two things: taking better advantage of the skilled workers already available in B.C. and reducing barriers for people looking to move to and work in the province. Eby said they expect as many as one-third of job openings over the next decade to be filled by internationally-trained professionals.
British Columbia is not the only place in the western world competing for training labour. A report released by the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation last week found permanent migration to OECD countries, including Canada, reached record levels in 2022 with four out of 10 immigrants coming to Canada to work.
But many often find themselves in jobs below their levels of qualification.
B次元官网网址淚nternationally-trained professionals have a choice when they come to Canada and there are a lot of folks that elect to come to British Columbia,B次元官网网址� Mercier said. B次元官网网址淲e want them to stay here, which means that we need to be a leader in international credential recognition processes,B次元官网网址� he added.
The tabled legislation removes B次元官网网址渦nfair and unnecessaryB次元官网网址� Canadian work experience and B次元官网网址渆xcessive and expansiveB次元官网网址� language requirements.
Eby called this work requirement a Catch-22. B次元官网网址淗ow do you get Canadian work experience if youB次元官网网址檙e not allowed to work in Canada in the field where you have experience?B次元官网网址� he asked.
Mercier added that immigrants admitted to Canada have already passed language tests. B次元官网网址淲hy should you then be recertified for English for the same test?B次元官网网址�
Other aspects of the legislation, which is scheduled to come into force in the summer of 2024, will create a new superintendent responsible for promoting fair credential recognition, establish maximum limit caps for recognizing foreign credentials and make credential assessment information available online.
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Mercier said government chose the 29 professions by identifying the ones with the greatest barriers, adding that government consulted widely before making the changes. Among included occupations are engineers, social workers, early childhood educators, paramedics, teachers and biologists.
B次元官网网址淣o oneB次元官网网址檚 defending the status quo,B次元官网网址� he said.
The legislation builds on previous efforts to speed up the credentialing of health-care professionals, but Eby pointed out that B.C. also needs workers in other areas.
He also defended the inclusion of lawyers, while acknowleding the importance of health care. B次元官网网址�(We) actually did choose health careB次元官网网址nd we are taking some of those learnings from health care,B次元官网网址� Eby said, adding that B.C. is now moving to all the other professionals.
B次元官网网址淭here are many communities around the province B次元官网网址� and I am not just saying this, because I am a lawyer B次元官网网址� that are actually short community lawyers,B次元官网网址� Eby said.
wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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