TORonTO A report from EngineersCanada suggests that job seekers in ontario should focus their training and job searches towards the engineering field.
It anticipates a looming shortage in that area as the current workforce nears retirement.
The recently released study, Engineering Labour Market in Canada: Projections to 2020, shows that Canada is facing a shortage of engineers with more than 10 years of experience.
The report projects 95,000 professional engineers will retire by 2020, and incoming Canadian, and internationally trained graduates will be unable to fill that gap. The report was commissioned by EngineersCanada and sponsored by Randstad Engineering.
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“The study will help engineers, students, employers and governments plan for the future requirements of the Canadian engineering labour market,” said Kim Allen, FEC, P.Eng., chief executive officer of Engineers Canada.
It makes sense to encourage youth in ontario to consider engineering as a worthwhile career option, said Keith Wark, Vice President Central and Eastern Region, Randstad Engineering.
This is a sector that is clearly in need of seasoned professionals as older engineers retire. If we want to develop that pool of talent, we must hire and develop young engineers now.
Findings from the labour market report note that resource projects in the north, and infrastructure upgrades in most regions drive job creation, and that steady improvements in manufacturing create supply pressures for industrial engineers.
Randstads own projections foresee a demand for engineers in the ontario aerospace sector, which requires a highly skilled workforce to deal with aging commercial fleets that will soon need replacing. Demand is also growing for engineers in the construction sector, a result of new infrastructure projects.
While labour market conditions vary from region to region, ontario in particular is expected to experience a gap between retiring skilled engineers, and training incoming graduates and international candidates.
We are encouraged by the provincial governments stated commitment to youth employment and its understanding of the needs of ontarios labour market, said Wark. New projects mean great prospects for young engineers, but employers will need to start hiring based on potential instead of just experience, as a way to counterbalance labour shortages.
