According to a Hamilton Human Resource Strategy
Study, HR Matters
Hamilton will face a critical shortage of skilled
workers in the next ten years.
Businesses and
organizations are ill-prepared and generally ill-equipped to cope with
the human resource challenges looming ahead.
As Hamilton’s workforce
reaches retirement age, employers will be scrambling to entice
and retain workers
Educational institutions will be hard-pressed
to deliver services.
There is a “narrow
window of opportunity” if businesses and educators band together
to prepare for the future.
To ensure a qualified workforce, employers will need to provide training
programs for their younger workers.
Increased immigration to the area
will also be key to meeting the demands of a shrinking workforce.
The Conference Board of Canada reports: Source: The Conference Board
of Canada, Making a Visible Difference, April 2004.
Most newcomers come into the country under the economic
category as skilled workers...hence, they have the most direct
impact upon the labor force and Canada's future growth
potential."
Three provinces and two cities (Toronto
& Montreal) depend on immigrants to keep their workforces from
shrinking.
Immigrants are expected to account for all labour
force growth by 2011."
The
education section will play a major role in assisting these immigrants. By working
with local employers, organizations such as St. Charles Adult Education
Centres can help prepare workers for the workplace of tomorrow by providing
worker assessments, skills development programs, and on-the-job training.
Hamilton's growth from 1996-2001
has exceeded that of Canada's, and our projected growth
is to continue to exceed that of Canada's.
In 2001, almost one-quarter of the
Hamilton population was immigrants. Immigration now
accounts for approximately 85% of Hamilton's total population
growth."
Next to Toronto, Hamilton has the
largest percentage of foreign-born population in Ontario, and
the third largest population in Ontario whose mother tongue is
neither English nor French.
Hamilton, with a median age of 37.8
years, is older than the median age of Canada, and older than
six major cities in Ontario.
