Skills and skills shortage : Findings from the Workplace Partners Panel's 2005 viewpoints leadership survey, September 2005

Of more concern perhaps, is the relatively address shortages of skilled labour finds some level of support from man- large share of private sector managers (between 50% and 60% in each of the agers and labour leaders, but only to the extent that it involves voluntary western provinces) who felt that the hiring of Aboriginal people was “not im- measures. [...] In are numerous economic and labour market implications associated with that year, less than one-third of managers, and only one in five labour skills shortages that make the issue of top of mind concern to Canada’s leaders judged the shortage of skilled labour to be a serious problem business and labour leaders. [...] From a policy perspective, the Viewpoints Survey findings underscore the need to develop and enhance the kinds of programs and approaches that address both the underutilization of labour and skills shortages. [...] While the issue of skills shortages is viewed as a serious problem by a significant proportion of managers and labour leaders in all parts of the country, the factors giving rise to these concerns are likely to be quite different. [...] The Canadian results of the 2003 International Adult Assessing Skills: Literacy and Skills Survey found that about one in four employed Canadi- The Viewpoints Survey asked managers and labour leaders to assess seven different ans between the ages of 16 and 65 had average literacy scores below the skills sets of their current employees (in the case of managers) or in the workplaces desired threshol