ROOTS TAKING HOLD
A Statistics Canada report shows that the Maritimes are quickly becoming a gateway for immigrants looking for a future in the nation’s rapidly depleting skilled trades workforce.
While Ontario leads the country in retention of new skilled tradespeople to Canada, the Atlantic provinces, and Prince Edward Island in particular, are showing positive growth in attracting skilled immigrants to the East Coast.
In an examination of data collected from 2010 to 2015, it was found that while PEI has consistently ranked the lowest in retaining skilled workers five years after their arrival, that figure has been steadily rising over the past ten years, with a significant spur in retention resulting from the launch of Atlantic-based immigration initiatives.
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program was launched in 2017 with the aim of bolstering the skilled workforces of Newfoundland and Labrador, PEI, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. International skilled labour recruiting has become a hot topic in the Atlantic provinces, as many auto body repair facilities out east have taken to sourcing their staff from international markets in response to local labour shortages.
