Most (91%) Working Canadians Feel Skills Shortage Will Continue to be an Important Issue in 2014

Toronto, ON - According to a new survey conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of Randstad Canada, addressing the gaps and shortages in skills valued in the workplace continues to be of the utmost importance. Nine in ten (91%) working Canadians believe that the skills shortages and skills gaps will continue to be an issue of importance for 2014.

The data also reveal what managers and employees feel is the most pressing issue facing their organization for the coming year with a lack of skilled trade workers (16%) rising to the top of the list, slightly ahead of outsourcing/increasing the number of international workers (15%), a lack of generally skilled workers in the market (10%), increasing tax rats (10%), and a decline in the country's economy due to Baby Boomers retiring (10%). Working Canadians out West (23% - Saskatchewan/Manitoba, 22% - Alberta) are most likely to believe that a lack of skilled trade workers is the biggest threat to their organization in 2014.

Skilled Trades: The Most Promising Industry for Canadians...

While many Canadians in the workforce see the lack of skilled trade workers as an issue facing their organization, they also believe that skilled trades are one of the top three industries for job opportunities within the next twelve months.

Nearly half (45%) of working Canadians see the skilled trades as a top three industry for career opportunities, ahead of health care (38%), oil and gas (34%), technology, and engineering & construction industries, to round out the top five. Additionally, three in ten (29%) see trade skills (i.e. plumbing, electrical, etc.) as the most in demand skill set today, ahead of medical (24%) and technological (15%) skills.

Men are more likely than women to believe that oil and gas and engineering and construction present top three employment opportunities for 2014. Women (49%), however, are more likely than men (42%) to see skilled trades as one of the top three industries with the best job prospects for this year.

Industry sectors like Not-for-Profits, Academia, Arts, Entertainment and Recreation, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), and Security are the areas that the majority of working Canadians provide the least prospective opportunities for 2014.

Are Organizations Doing Enough to Address Skills Gaps?...

Whether manager or employee, BCer or Quebecer, Canadian workers believe the responsibility to properly address the issue of the skills gaps lies with companies, governments, and educators, not working Canadians themselves. According to those who believe there is will continue to be a skills shortage in 2014, promotions, compensation, and investment in skills training are critical to properly address the issue in both the short and long term.

Four in ten say that one of the top three remedies for properly addressing these skills gaps is that companies need to invest more in skills training, with a similar proportion (38%) saying that educators need to do more to promote to students industries and job roles that are likely to lead to careers addressing skills shortages and gaps.

One in three (34%) believe one of the three best ways to address these shortages is companies needing to provide better compensation packages to retain talent. A similar one in three (33%) think that governments need to invest more in skills training for unemployed and underemployed while a quarter (26%) believe governments need to provide better incentives for workers to move into positions that address the skills shortage/gap.

Young workers (18-34) are more likely to expect companies to provide better financial incentives (41%), while mature workers (55+) emphasize the role that educators have played in addressing the issue and promoting industries and job roles to students (45%), and incentivizing students to purse these types of careers (34%). Women are more likely than men to feel that governments can have a large impact in the issue when compared to men, while men see the responsibility sitting with companies more so than women.

Lack of Education, Negative Perceptions Widening the Gap...

Most workers feel that education and perception are core reasons that have led to today's skill shortage with four in five (79%) stating that they feel a `lack of knowledge in skilled trades to consider as a career option is a large (33%) or moderate (46%) contributor to this identified shortcoming. A similar proportion (77%) feel that `perception of skilled trade work being less respected and old fashioned in comparison to white collar work' is either a large (37%) or moderate (39%) contributor to the gap.

Ontarians (69%) most frequently stated that they experienced pressure by family to pursue more traditional `white collar' careers when in school, while Quebecers experienced the least amount of familial intervention (52%).

What Would Entice Pursuit in Skilled Trades?...

Nearly two in five would be interested in pursuing a career in the skilled trades if there were good immediate and long term job prospects readily available (37%) or if they presented better long-term job security than other fields (35%). Additionally, nearly one in three say that training programs being made available to help in career transition (32%) and better compensation than other fields (31%) could entice working Canadians to look into this field.

More than a quarter (26%) of Quebecers and younger workers (26%) say they would consider entering a skilled trade if they required less and/or lower cost pre-work education. Only one in six working Canadians (17%) would not for any reason consider a career in skilled trades, including a full one in five (21%) women.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between December 20th to 29th on behalf of Randstad Canada. For this survey, a sample of 2,076 employed Canadians (including n=800 managers/employers and 1,276 generally employed Canadians) from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points had all employed Canadians been polled, within +/- 4 percentage points had all Canadians in a managerial role and +/- 3.1 percentage points of all Canadians working in a non-managerial role been surveyed. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Sean Simpson
Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416.572.4474
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

With offices in 85 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,789 billion (2.300 billion USD) in 2012.