Over my lifetime | have
seen computers and IT grow
from a niche, hobbyist field to
a major industry in its own right
and an inseparable component
of our everyday lives and work.
The oil sands went from a
geologic curiosity to one of the
largest industrial projects in the
world. Who knows what kind of
new industries might emerge in
the future. What I’m getting at is
that the job market is not static.
New and lucrative fields have a
habit of emerging suddenly and
gambling on an ideal outcome
for the future based on yet-
unproven trends is foolish.

Now, imagine if a majority
of Northern BC workers had
only been trained in a non-
diversified lumber, pulp and
paper industry. A disaster, like
an epidemic in the timber stands
or the sudden imposition of trade
restrictions from Canada’s main
trading partners, could result
in widespread unemployment
and a workforce that is poorly
equipped to transition to
other industries like mining
or petroleum resulting in an
economic slowdown. Oh, wait.

This part deeply concerned me:
“Advanced Education Minister
Amrik Virk said the student
loan program will also be
adjusted to market demand,
with loans reduced or forgiven
for students who graduate with
in-demand skills and are willing
to move to get work.” So while
Newfoundland gets a complete
revocation of the student loan
system in favour of grants, we
get another “solution” predicated
on market trends.

According to _ Stats
Canada, Northern BC has
around an 8% unemployment
rate, depending on region.
Most of Southern BC hovers at
a little over 6%. Industry-wise,
the Canada-wide in-demand
skills appear to mostly be in
the white-collar professions,
based on the past four years’
growth, despite the insistence
of the provincial government
that there is a_ constant
severe shortage of skilled
tradespeople. The “Finance
and insurance,” “Professional,
scientific and technical
services” and “Educational
services” fields as listed by
Stats Canada each brought a
minimum of 1 million new jobs
to the table since 2009. As
for trades, only “Construction”
was able to approach this level
of growth in the jobs market,
despite a respectable showing
by “Mining, quarrying, and
oil and gas extraction” which
added around half a million
jobs Canada-wide. Forestry
and related fields were
stagnant in this period. While
it would be admirable if the BC
Liberals forgave student loans
for accountants, scientists,
technicians and teachers for
leaving the north and finding
work with their in-demand
skillset, the rhetoric thrown
about by the government is
less than reassuring.

In “B.C. launches skills
re-engineering”, Fletcher
reported that, “Ministers

avoided identifying areas that
will lose funding, but have
previously cited far more
teaching graduates than there
are jobs in the school system.
Premier Christy Clark has
lamented a system where
students receive a bachelor’s
degree and then must take
additional training to qualify
for jobs.” At this point, | agree
to an extent. Trying to start
a career as a knowledge
worker in the North is difficult
and often requires some
concessions and _ additional
training. If you take a page
from Virk though, and move
to where the jobs are in your
field, this issue disappears,
much like all the intelligent,
dedicated, passionate people
who disappear from northern
BC because of the skills
mismatch and employers
who are unwilling to invest
in employee training. It
has been said that Canada
doesn’t have a skill shortage
problem, but a skill mismatch
problem. One that employers,
politicians and regular citizens
can correct with a bit of effort.
To steal a_ popular
buzzword from a few years
back, what we need to do as
a society is to forget some
of our misplaced notions of
constant growth and progress,
and think more about
sustainability. We're rapidly
approaching the end of cheap
petro-energy to power our
civilization. Canada has one
of the last major reserves of

Oe RR

cad
=
z=
el
3
end
ba
z
:
=
=

Be