Job Growth Boom Drives High Demand for Immigration to meet Canada’s Labour Force Needs

The Canadian economy is enjoying a very good 2007 so far, and the proof is in the jobs. In the first quarter of 2007, job creation hit a five year high, displaying a dynamism that far exceeded economists’ predictions.

A testament to Canadian business' ability to compete in the globalized world economy, over 50,000 new jobs have been generated in each of the first three months of 2007. Canadian competitiveness continues to impress industry analysts whose more tame predictions of growth proved inaccurate. While economists had predicted moderate job creation of 10,000 for the month of March, actual performance surpassed this figure by over 500%, reaching 54,000.

The impressive growth spanned the full range of Canada's geography and industry. Leading the pack in job creation were the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta in the West and New Brunswick in the East. The industries of information technology, culture and recreation have been the stars of this year's surge. Their leadership is representative of Canada's shift towards a service-based and increasingly information-based economy.

Despite the good news of job growth, Canadian businesses are forced to compete fiercely for available human resources. With the national unemployment rate already among its lowest levels in 30 years, and the natural population growth rate steadily declining, job creation is being matched by calls from businesses across the country for immigration to be increased and expedited. Immigration is becoming the answer to the question of who will fill these Canadian jobs.

In order to capitalize on opportunities available to them, Canadian businesses are drawing attention to a variety of immigration programs that can get people to Canada more quickly. If a potential immigrant holds a job offer from a Canadian employer, they may receive priority processing for a Permanent Residency visa to get them to Canada sooner. Another route is through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. This program brings individuals to Canada much sooner on a temporary visa, however if a permanent job offer is extended after arrival, an applicant will enjoy faster processing for Permanent Residency. Each of these programs is meant to get individuals to Canada more quickly to be matched with growing human resource needs in the Canadian economy.