BC Construction Employers Hire New Canadians to Help Meet Skills Shortages: HireGuide Launches
The British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) has launched the Hire Guide (www.hireguide.ca), an interactive resource to help construction employers source skilled workers in an increasingly competitive market. BC’s construction sector is anticipating a shortfall of at least 30,500 skilled workers by 2021.
The Hire Guide was made possible by the Immigrant Employment Council of BC through the Employer Innovation Fund, and funding provided by the Government of Canada and the Province of BC.
The guide describes the emerging labour market, underscores why new Canadians should be a key part of any HR strategy, and shows employers how to tap into the skills and experience immigrants bring to BC.
“New Canadians have enormously valuable skills and experience,” says Manley McLachlan, President of the BC Construction Association. “The majority of employers in our sector are small businesses without the capacity to easily tap into new labour markets, but in this competitive environment they need to. We want to help.”
Taking employers through recruitment, hiring and retention best practices with simple, solution-oriented tools and content from experts in the field, the Hire Guide leverages real-life stories with a focus on BC’s Northeast, where the unemployment rate in some communities is reportedly below three per cent.
“Skills shortages are on our doorstep,” says Kelly Pollack, Executive Director of the Immigrant Employment Council of BC. “There is not an inexhaustible pool of local labour to draw on, so sector-specific initiatives that connect employers with BC’s skilled immigrants are a key part of the solution to the growing labour demands.”
The Honourable Shirley Bond, BC’s Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour, agrees: “Our government is committed to doing everything we can to ensure we have the workers we need to continue growing B.C.’s economy. I appreciate the BCCA’s leadership in developing resources like the Hire Guide to help address our need for skilled workers in the construction industry.”
The Hire Guide was produced by the internationally award-winning Vancouver creative team The Goggles Media Group, in association with Fulscrn Productions.
