Building the Workforce for a Growing Economy: The Saskatchewan Labour Market Strategy lays out the province’s response to its ongoing labour shortage
More people are working and living in Saskatchewan than ever before, and the province has experienced significant growth in sectors including agriculture, mining, energy, construction and manufacturing.
However, this growth has also led to workforce shortages and skill mismatches, which are obstacles to the province’s sustained economic development. A recent report calculates that the cost of 4,000 unfilled jobs in Regina alone represents close to $500 million in lost GDP each year.
Building the Workforce for a Growing Economy: The Saskatchewan Labour Market Strategy, announced by Premier Scott Moe this past March, was developed by the Government of Saskatchewan to set out a framework for addressing these labour market challenges in the province’s rapidly expanding economy, outlining how the province is addressing these challenges.
Premier Moe introduced the strategy with his own one-page summary and message:
With record capital investment and one of the most sustainable and highly competitive business environments in the world, Saskatchewan is growing at its fastest rate in the last century…. This remarkable growth, fuelled by tens of billions of dollars in new investment and explosive growth in the value of Saskatchewan exports, has led to the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. As the provincial economy continues to thrive, it is important to have a workforce that aligns with the needs of Saskatchewan’s labour market. The number one challenge employers are facing as a barrier to the continued rate of growth in our province is developing a labour force that maintains pace with the opportunities our economic success is creating…. To address the immediate and critical workforce shortages, the labour market strategy provides a blueprint to ensure we capitalize on the existing and emerging opportunities.
The 32-page document describes strategic investments, partnerships and broad policy interventions, and lists dozens of specifically targeted programs and the money being spent to implement them, recognizing the need for a skilled workforce across diverse industries to meet the province’s evolving economy. It focuses on the need for collaboration among government, industry, educational institutions and other stakeholders to enhance workforce skills, promote inclusive economic participation and align labour supply with demand to foster economic growth and prosperity.
Tailoring programs to equip workers with the skills they need
The strategy begins by summarizing current labour market trends, including demographic shifts, technological advancements and industry-specific demands, noting that by understanding these trends, the province’s policymakers are better able to tailor programs that will equip workers with the skills they’ll need for emerging industries. Programs include vocational training initiatives, apprenticeship support and lifelong learning opportunities.
The strategy emphasizes that collaboration with industry stakeholders is essential, and that fostering partnerships between education providers and industry to identify current skill gaps, inform curriculum development and facilitate work-integrated learning opportunities will ensure that graduates are equipped with the skills the labour market needs.
It recognizes the need to attract and retain skilled talent both from other parts of Canada and internationally, and acknowledges the need for advancing credential-recognition services, so that newcomers to Saskatchewan can work in their chosen professions and in the jobs they’ve been trained to do.
Another priority of the strategy is to remove systemic barriers to employment for underrepresented groups in the workforce. By emphasizing training initiatives, upskilling opportunities for in-demand jobs and other supports for First Nation and Métis communities, women, newcomers, persons with disabilities and the unemployed and underemployed, the strategy aims not just to promote inclusivity and diversity, but also to tap into a broader talent pool to alleviate the labour shortage.
“When you read through the report, it sounds very optimistic, but when you go and talk with employers, I don’t see it connecting as much as it should be.”
– Rosalie Hughes, Hughes Recruitment
Recognizing that programs and policies that create a supportive ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship will help to diversify and grow the province’s economy, it also includes initiatives to support startups, attract investment and commercialize research and development. The strategy, emphasizing the importance of regional development, includes targeted initiatives to support economic growth in rural and remote communities, as well as some that specifically address the challenges faced by particular regions.
It notes the importance of establishing key performance indicators that track the effectiveness of its various programs to assess outcomes related to skills development, employment and economic growth, and make informed decisions and adjust its approach as needed.
Too many talented people are unemployed or underemployed
Although targeted supports are available to help Saskatchewan employers recruit, train and retain their employees, including the Saskjobs.ca job board, “there still needs to be a better bridge between the programs and employers for them to feel the effects of them,” said Rosalie Hughes, founder and CEO of Hughes Recruitment, a Saskatoon-based executive search, trades, labour and high-volume project recruitment and consulting firm. “When you read through the report, it sounds very optimistic, but when you go and talk with employers, I don’t see it connecting as much as it should be.”
There are provincial supports for various demographic segments of the population, but too many talented people are still unemployed or underemployed, she says. “Saskatchewan is not as progressive as some other provinces” in terms of flex-work, for example, adding that “a significant proportion of the province’s labour shortage is due to its aging population.”
About 700,000 of the four million Canadians who work in trades are set to retire by the end of the decade, according to Employment and Social Development Canada. However, people who have retired or are nearing retirement might want to work part-time, she says, and parents of young children may have “half-time availability” if they could find suitable daycare arrangements.
“There’s still a huge gap,” Hughes says, to be bridged between provincial accreditation and newcomers with out-of-province or international education, credentials and experience. “There’s a lot of great talent out there,” said Hughes, “and companies in the province are becoming more understanding of the backgrounds of people coming into the workforce – international, Indigenous, women.”
She says she is starting to see employers offering part-time work as well as paid parental leave for both women and men in formerly male-dominated industries like construction, “which wasn’t as much a consideration in the past,” and training and encouragement for previously underrepresented groups much earlier in the school system for trades, construction and mining.
“People in Saskatchewan are very passionate about mentoring in these areas,” she said. “There has also been a lot of headway made in the province on what reconciliation means as a commitment, even in employment practices.” Many of Hughes’ own clients have participated in the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology’s work-shadowing program.
Headway made on what reconciliation means in employment practices
The labour shortage is impacting all businesses, but especially smaller contractors, who don’t have as much flexibility,” said Hughes. “Ideally, we look locally first [when recruiting], but now talent comes from all across the country. It’s creating a lot more travel to execute the projects on time, which has a huge impact on the budgets. Companies now may have a strategic relationship or joint venture with someone who might have been a competitor before, just to be able to staff a project.
“Candidates are looking for something out of the experience, as well. People don’t just want to work for a company anymore, they truly want to work for more purpose. Compensation is important, but it’s pretty standard across industries, so it’s the little perks and little pieces of flexibility that go a long way. Companies that are doing well have a clearly defined employer value proposition, speaking about their values and drawing people into their values.
Small businesses that can create that culture and genuinely care for their employees don’t have as much trouble attracting real talent because they treat people well and their employees tell everyone about that.”
Freelance Writer and Editor.