Research probes into growing and increasingly serious shortage of IT professionals in Canada

A shortage of skilled workers in Canadian IT market is expected to reach an all-time high, surpassing demand levels experienced during the build-up to Y2K. While at the other end, this shortage could lead to an increase in starting salaries of IT professionals. This has been examined in various recently published reports, which look into the current IT employment issues such as the strong hiring market and the ongoing results of the skills shortage.

In the Robert Half 2008 Salary Guide, the Ottawa Division of Robert Half International reported that corporate growth in Canada is continued to surge in a wide range of industries including oil and gas, IT development, healthcare and professionals services, and IT investment has come along with it, resulting in “the demand for skilled IT professionals to rise to a level not seen in several years”. Edmonton-based recruiting firm David Aplin Recruiting also concurred by this trend in its recent findings.

Canadian positions that are especially in demand, according to Robert Half, are in project management, applications and Web development. Networking and help desk/user support are the fastest-growing positions, with Windows administration, network administration, and database management the most sought-after skill-set.

The economic impact of an IT labor shortage has been outlined in a new Conference Board of Canada study commissioned by Bell Canada. The report, entitled "Securing our Future", projects the creation of 58,000 new jobs in the industry next year and more than 90,000 vacancies in the next three to five years. The economic impact of the shortage could potentially be as much as $10.6 billion.

Research conducted by the Conference Board identified several major factors that contribute to a growing IT talent gap, including declining enrolments in IT-related post-secondary programs; demographic shifts such as population aging and a low fertility rate; under-representation of key population groups, including women and immigrants; and mismatches between skills of available workers and the ever-changing requirements of employers.

Based on the results of the Conference Board study, a prominent group of Canadian organizations has joined in a national effort to address a growing and increasingly serious shortage of IT professionals. Initiated by Bell Canada, the Canadian Coalition for Tomorrow's IT Skills will work collaboratively to develop insights for securing the future of Canada's IT workforce. The goal is to ensure a healthy national economy built on ongoing growth, productivity and competitiveness in the global marketplace. The national coalition will be focusing its efforts on three major areas: (a) raising the profile of IT and IT career choices among young people, with a specific goal of increasing enrolments in IT-related programs; (b) generating public awareness of the importance of IT to Canada by emphasizing the contribution IT makes to Canada's economic prosperity and competitiveness; and (c) developing and sustaining Canadian IT know-how.

Members of the Coalition for Tomorrow's IT Skills include the following companies, associations and other organizations: Bell, Hydro-Québec, Mouvement des caisses Desjardins, CGI, Gaz Métro, Nortel Networks, Rogers Communications, Canadian National Railway Company (CN), TD Meloche Monnex, Avaya Canada, Pratt & Whitney Canada, BMO Financial Group, The Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada, Air Canada, Loto-Québec, Canadian Tire Corp. Limited, Ericsson Canada, Métro Inc., Société des alcohols du Québec, LGS / IBM Canada, Exfo, Sapphire Technologies, National Bank of Canada, Cisco Systems Canada, SNC Lavalin, Bombardier, Ultramar, Pfizer, SAP Canada, Conference Board of Canada, TechnoCompétences, TechnoMontréal, Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC), Manufacturiers et exportateurs du Québec (MEQ), Computing Technology Industry Association (Comptia), Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS), and the Toronto Board of Trade.

The coalition is also working with Canadian universities and schools to change perceptions about IT professions to try and convince more Canadians to enroll in these programs. It is expected that the coalition, together with the corporate and public sectors, will help turn the tide of the professional IT shortage, and reverse the flow of outsourcing of these important, high-paying jobs beyond the borders.

Bell is also working on its own program, called First Jobs, which will attempt to fast-track qualified foreign workers into jobs in Canada.