Graduate outlookCanada is experiencing a skills shortage and views both home and foreign graduates as an important talent pool. Skills shortages exist in IT, science, engineering and research. British nationals entering the country with experience and skills in these areas may be viewed as a valuable resource by employers. The graduate labour market is very competitive so foreign jobseekers must evaluate their interests, identify their skills and target sectors in which there are skills shortages. Technical, scientific and specialised business skills, with a solid base in mathematics, are particularly relevant. In general, Canadian employment rates are high and on an upward trend. Up-to-date information on immigration issues, including employment statistics, is available in The Monitor, an online newsletter produced by the Canadian government. The Work Destinations website has information on regulated trades and professions in Canada and includes information for those wanting to move to Canada. back to top The economyCanada has a strong and diversified economy. It ranks among the top ten industrial powers, is a member of the Group of 8 (G8) and, along with the United States and Mexico, is a partner in the world’s largest free trade area - the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The USA is Canada’s most important trading partner with the majority of Canada’s exports heading there. The USA also supplies the bulk of Canada’s imports. Overall, the country has shown strong economic growth and the dollar has performed well. Manufacturing jobs have fallen to their lowest level since 1998 (The Manufacturing Crisis, Canadian Labour Congress, 2007). However, employment in the services sector has grown steadily and continues to do so. Specific areas of growth include: - educational services;
- healthcare and social assistance;
- information, culture and recreation;
- professional, scientific and technical services.
back to top Companies- The Canadian Forbes Top 40 list of largest companies is dominated by banking and finance, telecommunications, energy and aerospace.
- Major banking and financial institutions include the Royal Bank of Canada, Manulife Financial and the Bank of Nova Scotia.
- BCE, Telus and Nortel Networks are the best-known telecommunications companies.
- Canada is rich in natural resources, e.g. oil and gas, forestry, mining, farming and fishing, and, therefore, a number of the country’s largest companies operate in this sector, including Imperial Oil, Petro-Canada and Barrick Gold.
- Canada is also a world leader in aerospace information and communications. Bombardier is the leading Canadian company in aerospace and defence.
Details of companies operating in Canada can also be found in Kompass (a worldwide searchable business directory). back to top UnemploymentThe Canadian government provides statistical information on its economy, including figures on its employment and unemployment rates, on the Statistics Canada website. Canada’s unemployment rate is currently steady at 6.1% (Statistics Canada, July 2007). back to top Working practices and customs- The average working week in Canada is typically between 35 and 40 hours.
- Statutory holidays vary across the provinces, although there are a number that are celebrated on a national level.
- Important dates to note are Victoria Day (Monday before 25 May), Canada Day (1 July), Labour Day (first Monday in September) and Thanksgiving Day (second Monday of October).
- Annual leave is not as generous as the entitlements in Europe.
- The majority of Canadians take their vacations during the summer months of June, July and August.
back to top Language requirementsCanada is officially a bilingual country (English and French), although New Brunswick is the only province that is officially bilingual. Québec is the only province with French as its official language. It is difficult to work or study in Québec without a good standard of written and spoken French. French language courses are offered by many institutions in Montreal and Québec City, for example through International Language Schools of Canada, Languages Abroad and AmeriSpan. In other provinces and territories, English is the official language.
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Canada: Job market
