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SHRC Survey of IT Occupations ResultsJune 2004 More than 50 per cent of employers have trouble finding IT workers they need-survey Ottawa, ON - June 4, 2004 - The Software Human Resource Council (SHRC) today released two reports analyzing data from a pilot survey of IT employers conducted last year. The results are Canada's first real look at IT sector employment. The survey is the first of its kind to examine IT employment in depth. Statistics Canada conducted the survey on behalf of Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC). It indicates that even at the high point of the last economic cycle, Canadian industry was operating at only 75-80 percent of capacity within the information technology (IT) sector, due to a severe shortage of qualified workers. The studies confirm empirically what Canadian IT employers have been saying for years, namely, that they can't find the skilled workers they need. And it is unlikely the recent industry slowdown has made the situation any easier. Even when they did hire, more than 60 per cent of employers reported the new workers required additional training. "There is no indication that Canadian employers have any less trouble hiring employees with key IT skills now than they did last year, despite recent upheavals in the global technology sector," says the president of SHRC, Paul Swinwood. Among the report's key findings: Do these snapshot findings apply in the current climate? "At Corel we are continuing to hire. Given the recent downturn in the high technology sector, particularly with hardware producers, pressure on the supply side of IT workers has abated, "says Stephen Quesnelle, Vice President of Human Resources at Corel Corporation. "We expect this situation to be temporary and anticipate that the demand for high tech workers will continue to exceed the supply in the near months ahead." In addition to this survey, which focused on employers, Statistics Canada is now analyzing data from a survey of employees working at these same firms. The findings of both surveys are expected to serve as the baseline for a series of more in-depth surveys, case studies and expert panels over the next several years. HRDC has committed to the additional research to provide ongoing labour market intelligence in the rapidly changing IT sector. The need for continued research has been endorsed by analysts from both the Conference Board of Canada and Prism Economics and Analysis. After examining the results of the employer survey, both organizations have strongly recommended the continued generation of reliable and consistent data on IT employment in all sectors of the Canadian economy. Gaylen Duncan, President and CEO of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), concurs. "Ongoing data collection at consistent intervals will provide a true understanding of the actual cost of this critical shortage to the Canadian economy." It is expected that surveys will be conducted at least annually, if not quarterly, and will feature more targeted probing. Issues to be studied will include: occupations most affected, types of skills shortages, the cost of the shortfall in terms of lost business, lost innovation and ideas, and the impact of training costs and compensation on the Canadian economy. |
