Carpenters, masons, painters
We can no longer count the number of contractors forced to postpone or even refuse construction sites. The reason ? The lack of arms! According to Statistics Canada, in the fourth quarter of 2021, the construction sector had 69,000 vacancies, double compared to February 2020, just before the Covid. At 22 dollars*, the hourly wage of workers has nevertheless jumped by nearly 15% over the same period. Carpenters, welders, electricians, masons, painters, plumbers, mechanical equipment operators… So many trades for which the needs are felt. However, 1 in 5 workers should retire within ten years, according to the Canadian Construction Association. The situation is urgent…
*1$CAD = 0.74
Truckers
The second largest country in the world by area, Canada can be considered a trucker’s paradise. An example ? The Trans-Canada Highway, a road of nearly 8,000 km, crosses the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific, passing through the ten provinces and breathtaking landscapes. Yet, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance, there are 20,000 drivers missing from the roads. If the French driving license is valid in Canada for motorists, it is not the same for drivers of heavy goods vehicles and super heavy goods vehicles. The latter must have a “Class 1” license to work on site. This implies, for newcomers, to plan a medical examination, to pass an exam on local legislation and another on driving.
Bakers
This is probably not the sector that lacks the most professionals. But, for lack of qualifications, he is one of those who recruit the most abroad, especially in France. Blaise, originally from Nièvre and a baker for six years in Switzerland, can attest to this. Installed since last February in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he says that his boss had been looking for a professional since the previous summer! “He was forced to go get it abroad. For him, it was double or nothing, because it is not possible to do a trial period in this case”, confides the forties. An advantageous operation on his side: at 3,200 dollars* net per month, he earns almost double what he could have hoped for in France, for fewer hours of work. “And with the ocean 30 minutes away by car”.
Cook, waiters, dishwashers…
Panic in the kitchen! The Canadian restaurant sector has already paid a heavy price for the pandemic: 10,000 establishments have had to go out of business since March 2020, according to the professional association Restaurants Canada. Today, it is the shortage of personnel that is holding back the recovery. According to Statistics Canada, there would be a shortage of nearly 92,000 waiters and kitchen helpers (+ 124% in two years) and more than 24,000 cooks (+ 88%) in the country, British Columbia and Quebec being the provinces suffering from the highest vacancy rate. As everywhere in the world, the sector has experienced a wave of post-pandemic disaffection. A godsend for French candidates whose gastronomy is listed as a UNESCO heritage…
Welders, machinists, mechanics
“Now hiring/Nous embauchons” The succession of these panels on Canadian factories clearly illustrates the extent of the labor shortage in the manufacturing industry. Some 81,400 jobs are vacant in manufacturing (+93% in two years), according to Statistics Canada figures. This chronic understaffing has cost Quebec companies $18 billion* in two years, due to lost contracts, penalties for late delivery or reduced production, according to a survey conducted by Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec (MEQ ). According to the latter, 98.5% of the 400 responding companies said they were short of arms. Signs aren’t going away anytime soon.