Companies that want to push digital transformation forward will first have to deal with an acute skills shortage due to COVID-19 and the global labour gap, says a recent Conference Board of Canada study.
The report says many companies face challenges meeting an increased demand for labour and have instead given current workers the chance to add to their skill sets. As well, the virtual work environment has allowed employers to look for talent beyond their local markets. While most private organizations can use the international labour supply to fill some skills gaps, public agencies and non-profit organizations have often been restricted to the Canadian labour market.
Canadians should upgrade IT skills
Many Chief Information Officers and Chief Technology Officers now say Canadians need to upgrade their IT skills especially when it comes to the virtual work environment.
Canadian companies can seldom match the compensation packages offered by their international counterparts, said the study. “This means focusing on organizational culture and values, diversity, and meaningful career development opportunities. Another big selling point is the organization’s long-term viability – demonstrating a track record of relative stability through economic downturns can convince candidates to come on board for less money.”
The inability to hold in-person interviews has made it harder to gauge each candidate’s fit in a company and has put more of a premium on the applicants’ soft skills, says the study.
The Conference Board said executives are putting more thought into drafting the next generation of high-talent workers before losing them to higher-paying jobs south of the border.
Canada is home to world-renowned post-secondary programs in advanced technologies like AI, cybersecurity and quantum computing. Establishing flexible work-integrated learning programs to give these students a broad sample of interesting challenges could increase the likelihood of keeping them in Canada.
