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By Alessia Proietti

High demand in Trades

Survey: healthy hiring climate ahead in Red Deer but job seekers’ skillsets not matching the need

Mar 28, 2024 | 3:37 PM

The hiring climate is looking healthy for the next few months in central Alberta, according to the latest survey by Manpower. However, a gap remains unbridged between skillsets job seekers have, and what employers need.

The global workforce solutions company released this month the results of their quarterly Employment Outlook Survey, involving of over 1,000 Canadian employers. While the first quarter of the year showed slow business transactions, for Q2, from April to June, nearly 40 per cent of employers said they plan to hire across all nine sectors in industrials and materials; financials and real estate; information technology; consumer goods and services; transport, logistics and automotive; health care and life sciences; communication services; energy and utilities; and other.

As well, the Global Talent Shortage survey showed that 80 per cent of Canadian employers and 75 per cent globally, or four in every five companies, are currently having difficulty filling open roles due to a lack of applicants with applicable skill sets.

“With everything from robotics, automation, IT [Information Technology], everything that’s happening right now, the pace, in terms of the world of work, is changing rapidly every single day which we’ve never seen,” said Ahmed Borhot, Director of Workforce Solutions.

He added that for every Canadian worker, there are two open jobs.

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The Red Deer region came off the top of the list for unemployment in the province this February, now behind Lethbridge-Medicine Hat at 6.9 per cent.

READ: Red Deer region’s unemployment rate drops in February

Borhot said all skilled trades jobs, like pipe fitters, electricians, welders, and carpenters, are in the most demand across the country, particularly in central Alberta and Red Deer, alongside oil and gas and other industry diversifications.

He said this is partially due to the drastic increase in population in the province through migration and immigration, with expectations of reaching five million in a few years. As a result, an increase in infrastructure and builds will be required, as well as job opportunities in construction and engineering.

READ: Alberta records largest population growth since StatCan tracking started in 1972

“The key message for job seekers is that there are jobs out there, [it’s] just understanding what the in-demand skillsets are,” he said.

Borhot said with the rise in automation, junior level tasks are being replaced, but jobs are not being removed. For example, as machine replace cashiers, new jobs are created for backend workers in maintenance and software.

With graduation season approaching, Borhot said there is also a gap academically.

“The formal education system is flawed as well in terms of, we’re not really using the data we have of what the in-demand skillsets are and pushing for those,” he said.

As a result, Manpower has various workforce programs to create talent required in the market, partnering with education institutions, like Red Deer Polytechnic, to condense skills training into four months, and employers for on-the-job training.

“As a job seeker, you can’t just finish school, create a resume, apply for jobs, and just think you’ve done your job. We always tell people, it’s a full-time job to get a full-time job right now. The market is a lot different,” he said.

“From an employer standpoint, we’re telling them the same things. To attract top talent and retain top talent, you might have to lessen your requirements or change your job description. There’s a gap on both sides.”

With more employers accepting resume online, Borhot says companies are bombarded and can’t respond to all. He said job seekers should utilize other tools like LinkedIn and build relationships by volunteering or attending events.

“Networking is key. A big part of jobs is who you know not what you know,” he said. “If you’re just creating a resume [and] applying for jobs, it’s just a small piece of the puzzle. You could get lucky, someone comes across your resume before another person’s resume and they call you, but it’s just a lot of ‘click and pray’.”

Borhot says he remains cautiously optimistic about the market, stating that it is now a “gig economy” where many people are doing short-term contracts, with the average job lifespan between one to two years.

“Don’t just get a job and just stay stagnant and hope you’re going to stay there for the rest of your life because it’s probably not going to happen,” he said.

“Always keep learning, always keep getting new skillsets because you never know when things are going to change.”

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