Although Alberta was one of the western provinces whose population growth was spotlighted in the recent Canadian Census reports, they are still experiencing labor shortages in many key fields. At a recent meeting of energy companies, labor shortages were listed as their biggest business challenge. Alberta enjoys one of the highest employment growth rates in Canada. However, they are still short on trained workers in many areas.

Over the next eight years the oilsands production in the area are expected to grow from 1.6 million barrels a day to over 3 million. This means that the province is going to continue to need trained workers to fill positions in this growing field. Even though Alberta has one of the highest population growths recorded in the recent census, they are still experiencing shortages of trained workers to fill all the available job openings.

There has been discussion of easing immigration rules to help to fill some of the positions where workers are desperately needed. Another problem facing Canada, as well as other countries, is that a large number of baby boomers are expected to retire in the near future. These workers will also have to be replaced, as well as filling positions that are already open. To address these problems Canada is presently revising the regulations surrounding immigration. They are beginning to shift the focus from educational training to actual work experience as a basis for being accepted in the federal skilled workers programs.

Whether applicants are considering immigration or a more temporary work solution, Canada is offering several options to attract the workers they need to fill vacancies in their labor force. Some of which are:

Federal Skilled Workers Program: Among the 29 qualifying occupations on the list for this program are many skilled and semi-skilled occupations that apply to the energy industry. The occupation list shows the skills that Canada is actively trying to fill.

Alberta immigrant Nominee Program: In some cases it is easier to get accepted as an immigrant under the Nominee programs. These are focused on job openings in the relevant areas. For Alberta many of the positions available are concerned with the energy industry but there are also opening for occupations that complement the industry, as well.

Temporary work permits are also an option that should be looked into. These allow people to live and work in Canada while they decide whether they wish to immigrate. In some cases a temporary work permit is only a step in the immigration process. However, some temporary workers wish to retain their current citizenship, even though they may be unable to find employment in their field in their country of origin.