GATINEAU, QC, June 17,
2024 /CNW/ - Canada's economy is showing strength and
resilience, with more women in the workforce than ever before, and
a higher number of Canadians working today than before the
pandemic. At the same time, our labour market is undergoing
significant changes with the impacts of climate change, an aging
population, shifting demographics and rapid technological
advancements. These changes present opportunities for Canada to adapt and seize new opportunities,
but workers need to be ready.
Today, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of
Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, met with
his counterparts for the Forum of Labour Market Ministers (FLMM)
for the second time this year. Minister Boissonnault and the
Honourable Jamie Moses, Manitoba's
Minister of Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural
Resources, co-chaired the meeting and discussed how ministers can
work together to strengthen Canada's workforce.
During the meeting, ministers discussed the important role of
labour market agreements with provinces and territories in helping
to address labour market challenges, particularly in key sectors
such as health care, housing construction, green industries and the
future economy.
Minister Boissonnault affirmed the continuity of federal funding
to provinces and territories, underscoring that these labour market
agreements benefit millions of Canadians each year through training
and job assistance and remain Canada's most substantial and impactful
investment with $25 billion in transfers since 2017.
Conversations with provinces and territories on labour market
agreements are ongoing and are focused on ensuring that regional
projects strategically align with other investments made by
provinces and territories to better meet the needs of
Canadians.
Additionally, he pointed to specific actions the Government of
Canada is taking through Budget
2024 to create more jobs for Canadians and keep Canada at the economic forefront. This
includes ground-breaking investments to strengthen the health care
and housing workforce, including a commitment to provide an
additional $50 million over two years in the Foreign
Credential Recognition Program to support and streamline foreign
credential recognition in the health care and construction sectors.
This complements a $90 million investment over two years
to help create apprenticeship placements with small and
medium-sized enterprises, and $10 million for the Skilled
Trades Awareness and Readiness program to encourage Canadians to
explore and prepare for careers in the skilled trades. Together,
these programs will provide direct support to grow and develop a
larger, highly certified, diverse and inclusive trades workforce
that will help to address the housing shortage across Canada.
Minister Boissonnault emphasized the need to continue building a
21st century workforce, with workers who can adapt to new
challenges, including those brought on by artificial intelligence
and automation, so that they can be ready for emerging in-demand
jobs. The recently announced Budget 2024 investment in the
Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program will help support workers in
industries that may be affected by artificial intelligence. With an
investment of $50 million over four
years, this program will provide new skills training to workers
across Canada who are potentially
impacted by artificial intelligence.
Additionally, Canada's interim
Sustainable Jobs Plan is about supporting workers as they seize
opportunities on the path to a prosperous and sustainable net-zero
emissions economy. This includes ESDC's suite of worker-centered
programming—such as the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund and the
Green Skills stream of the Union Training and Innovation
Program—which is ensuring that workers have access to good paying,
high-quality jobs and targeted training in every region of
Canada.
Finally, Minister Boissonnault also highlighted the upcoming
Workforce Summit in October 2024,
which will influence the current skills development landscape and
promote a productive and inclusive labour market. The Government of
Canada aims to bring together key
stakeholders for this summit to discuss modern workforce trends,
challenges and opportunities, with the goal of shaping a shared
vision for Canada's future
workforce.
Minister Boissonnault looks forward to continuing constructive
and open dialogue through the FLMM to remove barriers to labour
market success in service of Canadian workers.
Quotes
"In the face of challenging headwinds and a massive retirement
wave, all orders of government need to come together and chart a
new, more worker-focused path forward. Forums like the FLMM do just
that and ensure that our governments are aligned on the key
challenges facing workers, employers, unions and trades, while
crafting a shared roadmap to building a robust and resilient
workforce for today and tomorrow."
– Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official
Languages, Randy Boissonnault
Quick facts
- The Forum of Labour Market Ministers was established in 1983 as
an intergovernmental forum aimed at strengthening cooperation on
the labour market priorities of the federal government, provinces
and the territories.
- The responsibility of labour market training was devolved to
the provinces and territories in 1996, at their request.
- According to the latest data from the Labour Force Survey,
Canada's unemployment rate stood
at 6.2% in May 2024, above the record low rate of 5.0%
experienced between December 2022 and April 2023.
- Although labour market conditions varied in different parts of
the country, by May 2024, the
national employment rate (15 years and over) was 61.3%, slightly
lower than in the previous year.
- The International Monetary Fund projects that Canada will see the strongest economic growth
in the G7 next year.
- According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development, in the first half of this year, Canada received the third-highest foreign
direct investment of any country in the world—and the highest per
capita in the G7.
Relevant links
- Labour Market Transfers
- Foreign Credential Recognition Program
- Sustainable Jobs Plan
- The Sustainable Jobs Training Fund
- About the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program
- Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness program
Associated links
- Budget 2024: Fairness for Every Generation
- FPT Communique: Federal, Provincial and Territorial Labour
Market Ministers meet in Winnipeg
to discuss ongoing priorities to support Canadians
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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada