Statistics Canada: Skilled Trades

Canada Dept: 430,452: That s how many apprentices are were registered in 2010 in the major trades across Canada just over 2 1/2 times the number in 1995, according to Statistics Canada s latest numbers. In December, the federal government launched the new Skilled Trades Stream immigration to help alleviate shortages, but will accept a meagre 3,000 applications this year. Meanwhile, the construction sector alone will need roughly 320,000 new workers by 2020 and that s just to replace those who are retiring, according to the Canadian Construction Association. Michael Atkinson, president of the association, estimates that just half of those will be trained here in Canada, according to Globe and Mail. $400.5-billion: That s the cumulative benefit Canada would reap by 2026 if we were to close the education and labour market gaps between native and non-native Canadians, according to the Centre for the Study of Living Standards. With the median age just 27, compared with 40 for the non-Aboriginal population, and the total native population set to increase to 1.4 million by 2017 from 1.1 million in 2006 , according to Statscan, that s a work force that no industry can afford to ignore. But a 2012 Conference Board of Canada report found that 57 per cent of businesses listed lack of qualifications, formal documentation or certification as a barrier to hiring Aboriginal workers. The result: The unemployment rate among Canada s Aboriginal population is just under 13 per cent, compared with about 7.3 per cent for the rest of the population, according to Statscan. 2. Skilled trades 3. Native population (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.