To address labor shortages and fill empty positions in these high-demand professions, IRCC plans to issue invites to additional healthcare professionals and host category-based draws for STEM employees.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have announced the addition of new Express Entry selection categories. These categories are intended to attract people with certain vocations or job expertise in in-demand sectors.
The first-ever category-based draw for healthcare workers was held this week, and IRCC aims to offer invites to other healthcare professionals in the next week. They are also preparing for the first round of category-based drawings for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) professionals, which will take place the following week.
These categories were chosen based on labor market data, including predictions, as well as comments from stakeholders around the country. These new categories are intended to help Canada’s economic goals while also facilitating francophone immigration outside of Quebec.
The new categories are as follows :
- Healthcare professions
- STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) jobs
- Occupations in the trades
- Agriculture and agri-food vocations Transportation occupations
- French language ability
All of these occupations are in high demand and are critical to the health of Canada’s economy and labor force. According to CIC News, two selection categories stand out in terms of the number of qualifying vocations.
Healthcare jobs are in high demand.
The aging population and low birthrate in Canada pose issues for healthcare and labor shortages. By 2030, nine million Canadians will reach the age of 65, putting further strain on an already overburdened healthcare system. Prioritizing immigration applicants with healthcare expertise might help fill the 144,500 empty posts in the healthcare and social support sectors, which accounted for 17.7% of all unfilled employment in March 2023 (Statistics Canada).
STEM professions The need for STEM careers in Canada is increasing, particularly in the Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) business.
According to the research, ICT sales will reach $242 billion in 2021. With 1,032 AI and machine learning businesses, Canada is a top AI hotspot. However, the high rate of retirement and quick technological improvements are developing a skills gap in the labor supply, prompting some firms to recruit less qualified workers and stifling corporate growth.