What Does Canada's Labour Shortage Mean for Young Job Seekers?

The upcoming labour shortage in Canada is projected to last at least a decade, and that’s because thousands of baby boomers will be retiring in the next five years, leaving more jobs unfilled than filled. A lot of companies in the coming years will struggle to fill jobs.

This is good news for you, if you’re just graduating. Many companies will be vying for your attention, but there will be a particular shortage of jobs in manufacturing. If a lot of industries will be searching for young workers during the coming labour shortage, and you have suitors from different companies, why work in manufacturing?

Here are three reasons why working in manufacturing is a good idea for Canadian youth:

Working in manufacturing gives you lots of opportunities. If you’re still unsure and overwhelmed with the direction you want your life to go after graduation, working in manufacturing will guarantee you an income and security while you figure out if you want to go back to school, travel, or start working straight out of school. This kind of stability and chance at a good career can help you answer these big, life-altering questions from a comfortable point of view.
Manufacturing has changed since your parents’ day. You may have heard differently, but a job in manufacturing is exciting, clean and on the forefront of technological advancement. The jobs in manufacturing might surprise you. The kind of work that increasingly needs to be done in manufacturing is a more creative and adaptable kind of work that requires a lot of technological skill. Now, you don’t do the work the robots do; rather, you’re the one figuring out how to get the robots to work more efficiently.
Manufacturing provides a good work-life balance. Rather than slaving over a deep-fryer for minimum wage while you figure out what you want to pursue in life, a job in Ontario manufacturing will give you a good starting wage and room to grow. Rather than making sandwiches and wondering why you didn’t figure all this out sooner, you can plan from a stable starting point, or stay in manufacturing and grow for as long as you want. You’ll even be able to start saving for retirement.

Why the Labour Shortage Is Good News for Young Graduates

The other benefit with manufacturing is that, if you live in the Ontario East area, there will be plenty of opportunities in manufacturing coming available to young workers in the next couple of years. Unlike other careers, where you may have to move to another city or maybe even another country, manufacturing allows you the opportunity to stay within your community, adding another level of comfort and security to your first post-graduation job. If any of your friends are taking a victory lap at school or staying in the area, you’ll be able to maintain contact with them while earning an impressive entry-level salary, without having to ditch all your savings on post-secondary education.

Get the Skills You Need to Succeed

Discover programs and resources to help you learn the hard and soft skills to succeed in a future in manufacturing. Download this infographic - Prepare Yourself for Canada’s Jobs of the Future - now.